A new Sony smartphone that has a model number of Sony S20A has been spotted on the database of China’s TENAA telecom authority. The images of the smartphone haven’t surfaced yet on the TENAA listing of Sony S20A, but its entire specifications have been revealed. The specs leak suggests that it is a forthcoming entry-level phone from the Japanese tech giant for the Chinese markets.
Sony S20A specifications
The Sony S20A entry-level phone measures 150.8 x 72.8mm. The thickness of the smartphone is 12mm and it weighs 215 grams. The color variants of the smartphone mentioned in the listing are gold, white, black, red and blue. The modest handset has support for 4G connectivity.
The Sony S20A has a 5.45-inch display that offers 480 x 960 pixels resolution. It is quite rare to see a mainstream smartphone manufacturer to launch a handset with such low resolutions these days. The device is equipped with a big battery of 4,000mAh battery. The handset does not support fast charging.
The handset is driven by modest quad-core chipset that clocks at 1.3GHz. The phone may release in China in RAM options like 3 GB, 4 GB and 6 GB. It is mentioned in storage options like 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB of RAM. Users can add up to 128 GB of microSD card on the memory card slot of the device.
The Sony S20A does not seem to feature a fingerprint reader. It has a front camera of 2-megapixel. Its rear shell has a 5-megapixel main camera that supports 720p pixels resolution. The smartphone is preloaded on the older Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS. It comes with connectivity options like Bluetooth and USB.
The final product name of the Sony S20A is yet to be revealed. The images of the device haven’t surfaced on TENAA. Hopefully, the images will appear in a day or two to reveal its design. Now that the phone has been spotted with full specs on TENAA, it may go official soon in China.
OPPO is all set to launch its next-generation Find-series flagship smartphone OPPO Find X2 at a launch event in China on 6th March. With just a couple of days left for the launch event, the company has released a new teaser video.
In the teaser video, OPPO has showcased the upcoming Find X2 smartphone and has also confirmed that the device will come with a 120Hz refresh rate display, which is now becoming a norm in premium flagship smartphones.
The teaser video confirms that the smartphone will come with a punch-hole cutout in the top-left corner of the display for housing a camera sensor. On the back side, the device will come with a triple-camera setup and an LED flash arranged vertically in the top-left corner.
The company also confirmed that there will be more than one device in the Find X2 lineup. The Find X2 series is expected to have two models — the standard OPPO Find X2 and an advanced version of the same — Find X2 Pro.
Both the devices are expected to come with the same 6.7-inch curved S-AMOLED display which the company claims to have “3K” display. While the standard model will have 48MP + 12MP + 13MP camera sensors, the advanced variant will replace the 12MP snapper with a 48MP sensor. Both of them will feature Sony IMX616 32-megapixel selfie cameras.
Under the hood, the devices will come powered by the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The smartphones run Android 10 operating system with ColorOS 7.1 on top and the batteries on them will support 65W Super Flash Charge 2.0 fast charging technology.
To know more about the upcoming smartphones’ specifications and the differences between the two models, check out our article here.
With so many devices running the Android operating system and given the varying and complex codebases of most devices, security vulnerabilities have now become common in smartphones. And thus, Google has been releasing monthly security patches for years.
In the latest development, XDA Developers reported about a vulnerability that was first discovered in February 2019 by a developer as he was tinkering to root Amazon Fire tablet. A user named ‘diplomatic’ on XDA Forums has released a script that used the vulnerability to temporarily gain root access on Fire tablets.
Later, it was discovered that the vulnerability nicknamed ‘MediaTek-su,’ was also present on many other phones and tablets that are powered by MediaTek processors. It could allow a malicious app to do anything — install any apps, change permissions for existing apps, and accessing private data, among others.
To check the list of devices affected by this, check out the XDA-Developers report which is linked below as Source. However, its noteworthy that since MediaTek-su is about a year old, some companies have already caught on and patched their devices.
Still, there are several devices which are vulnerable to this and given that MediaTek chipsets are mostly used in mid-range or low-end devices, some companies may not have resources to offer an update to fix this.
Earlier, TrendMicro had published a report which claimed that several Play Store applications used one of two exploits — MediaTek-su or CVE-2019-2215 to gain root access after detecting that the user’s device was vulnerable. However, those applications have not been removed by Google from the Play Store.
To check if your device powered by MediaTek chipset is vulnerable, run the original root script from XDA and if you enter a root shell, the exploit is working. If so, then you should install the latest software update as soon as you receive it.
On March 12, Xiaomi will be launching the Redmi Note 9 smartphone in India. Since the Note series includes a vanilla version like Redmi Note 8 and a Pro model like the Redmi Note 8 Pro. The Note 9 series could feature two devices such as Redmi Note 9, and Redmi Note 9 Pro. Concept designer Benjamin Geskin has shared a concept model of the Redmi Note 9 Pro.
The landing page of the Redmi Note 9 on Xiaomi India’s website revealed that it is equipped with a Huawei Mate 20 like square-shaped camera setup. It could be housing four cameras. The concept render by Geskin shows the Redmi Note 9 Pro with quad cameras housed inside a square-shaped module. An LED flash unit is placed below the camera module.
Redmi Note 9 Pro concept render by Benjamin Geskin
The fingerprint scanner is not present on the backside of the Redmi Note 9 Pro concept model. It seems to be integrated with the power button on the right side of the phone. The frontside of the smartphone is fitted with a display that has a punch-hole at the top-left corner. Shown below is a live shot of the alleged by Redmi Note 9 Pro from 9TechEleven. While it appears real, the image clearly mentions that it is an image of the Redmi Note 9 Pro concept.
Xiaomi is yet to reveal any information on the Redmi Note 9 series. The company is expected to tease on its specs and features ahead of the launch. The rumor mill claims that the Redmi Note 9 / Pro smartphone will be driven by the upcoming 5G-ready mid-range SoC from Qualcomm that is said to have a model number of SM6250. The SoC is expected to arrive with support for NSA and SA dual-mode 5G connectivity.
Xiaomi has reveled that the Redmi Note 9 will offer exhilarating fast charging experience. A charger that has a model number of MDY-11-EM with support for up to 22.5W quick charging has appeared on 3C. It could be for the Redmi Note 9 series.
Vivo recently announced its APEX 2020 Concept Smartphone and now the Chinese company is all set to launch a new smartphone under NEX, the company’s another lineup for experimental devices.
A landing page for the Vivo NEX 3S smartphone on Tmall has revealed that the smartphone will be officially launched in China on 10th March at a launch event at 2:30 PM local time. The phone is said to come powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, the flagship chipset which will be powering most of the flagship phones getting launched this year.
Further, it has also been reported that the smartphone will be featuring a waterfall screen and the device will come powered by 55W Pump Charging, one of the fastest charging technology out there, after OPPO‘s 65W fast charge.
Recently, a new Vivo 5G smartphone with model number “V1950A” was spotted on TENAA along with the phone’s renders. While the name of that device has not been confirmed yet, it is believed to be the upcoming Vivo NEX 3S.
The TENAA listing reveals that the upcoming device from Vivo will look similar to its predecessor, Vivo NEX 3. It also reveals that the phone measures 167.44 × 76.14 × 9.4 mm and weighs 219.5 grams.
It also sheds light on some of the key specifications of the upcoming smartphone. The Vivo NEX 3S is said to feature a 6.89-inch AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 2256 x 1080 pixels. As said, it will come powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, along with 8GB of RAM.
The phone will have a triple-camera setup on the back and from the renders, it seems that the company has opted for the “Oreo” camera module. It will consist of a 64MP primary sensor, a 13MP secondary sensors and another 13MP camera sensor.
On the front side, the device will come with a 16MP pop-up snapper for taking selfies and video calling. The listing also reveals 4,250mAh battery and as rumored, could pack 55W fast charging technology.
TENAA says the phone comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner, runs Android 10 operating system out-of-the-box and has support for SA and NSA 5G bands 41, 78, and 79. We expect to know more about this upcoming smartphone in the coming days, as the launch date nears.
Mobile World Congress is usually one of the best opportunities for smartphone manufacturers to showcase their new devices, often including their most important flagships of the year. But MWC 2020 was canceled due to the Coronavirus outbreak and a lot of launches were moved to this month. That is why March 2020 is becoming the most important month of the year in the world of mobile devices. A lot of important smartphones are going to be announced this month and a lot of handsets will even hit the shelves. In this article, we collected the best upcoming smartphones which are going to be officially announced in March 2020.
Top upcoming smartphones of the month
Black Shark 3 and 3 Pro – 3 March
On March 3, Xiaomi’s subsidiary Black Shark is going to unveil its new gaming phones. We are talking about Black Shark 3 and 3 Pro and just a few hours are separating us from their debut. A leaked table revealed some of the specifications of the new flagship gaming phones. First of all, the two devices will differ for their display sizes: they will come with 6.67-inch and 7.1-inch displays respectively with different resolutions: 1080p and 1440p. Black Shark 3 and 3 Pro will support a 90 Hz refresh rate and they will run Joy UI 11 with gaming optimizations.
Realme 6 and 6 Pro will be official on March 5 and they will pack midrange specifications. Among their specs, there will be a display with a Full HD+ resolution and a 90 Hz refresh rate. There will also be a 64 MP quad camera setup with 20x zoom and a 30W fast charging technology. Both will come with punch-hole displays, but the Realme 6 Pro will be the only with a dual punch-hole and a dual front camera. Probably they will even have stereo speakers.
Find X2 and X2 Pro will be the top-tier flagships of 2020 by Oppo and they will be officially announced for the global market on March 6. The event will be streamed and the company should also launch other products in the global market, such as its first smartwatch. Among the specifications, we will see an amazing display with a 3K resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate, as well as a waterfall-like design with a noticeable curve. Oppo Find X2 and X2 Pro will bring Snapdragon 865 chipset, 5G connectivity, up to 12 GB of RAM and 30W wireless charging. On the camera side, there will be a Sony IMX689 sensor with a 48 MP resolution and 5x hybrid zoom.
On March 10, Vivo will launch the V19, as revealed by Vivo Indonesia. The company also shared an image of the device showing a punch-hole display and an L-shaped quad camera setup on the back. The main sensor of the quad camera will bring a 48 MP resolution, while the selfie camera will be a 32 MP snapper. Vivo V19 will have an in-display fingerprint reader, so we guess an AMOLED display as well. It will come with a USB-C port and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Vivo V19 may also debut in India, but in a slightly different version with a dual punch-hole selfie camera.
March is also the month of Redmi Note 9. The new affordable lineup will debut on March 12 and we expect at least two devices: Redmi Note 9 and 9 Pro. From the official teaser, we learned that Redmi Note 9 will sport a quad camera setup in a 2×2 array. Despite being affordable, the phones will have a premium design, an improved fast charging technology and they will provide a more immersive gaming experience. They will also come with a headphone jack.
Besides Black Shark 3 and 3 Pro, another gaming phone is going to make its debut in March: Nubia Red Magic 5G. It will be official on March 12 and according to the latest piece of info, it will be awesome in terms of performance. The device broke every record on AnTuTu benchmarks with a total score of over 633,000 points. Nubia Red Magic 5G is expected to sport a display with a 144 Hz refresh rate and a Snapdragon 865 chipset paired with a Snapdragon X55 5G modem. Among its key features, there will also be a revolutionary cooling fan reaching up to 15,000 rpm, as well as up to 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM.
The latest flagship smartphones of this month are probably coming by Huawei. The Chinese giant confirmed that the Huawei P40 series will be official on March 26 in Paris, France. It was confirmed by Richard Yu during the launch event of the new foldable phone Huawei Mate Xs. Just like the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, the Huawei P40 lineup should include three models, with the most advanced one called P40 Premium Edition. This variant will boast a penta-camera with 10x optical zoom thanks to a periscope telephoto lens. The Huawei P40 Pro should stop at 5x optical zoom and it should have a 52 MP main camera paired with a 40 MP cine shooter and an 8 MP telephoto camera. Huawei P40 should have the same three cameras, but the optical zoom should go up to 3x. The camera department will be co-engineered with Leica and the Huawei P40 will support the new Wi-Fi 6+ connectivity which can reach speeds up to 1,2 Gbps. The Huawei P40 will also bring dual mode 5G connectivity thanks to the Kirin 990 chipset.
The present phone design includes a slim build, metal frame, glass back and other design elements that add colour and charm to the smartphones. All these come at the expense of the phone’s durability as glass is likely going to crack when the phone falls down on a hard surface. In most cases, except for some flagship models, there is usually no water resistance property.
However, there are some categories of workers, professionals and artisans who would rather prefer to trade the aesthetics for a rugged build. How about having a smartphone that brings ruggedness and still remains sleek? That is what theBlackview BV9800 Pro brings to the table.
The rugged smartphone was launched late 2019 and since then, it has received positive media coverage, rave reviews and praises from users around the globe. The BV9800 Pro has several superior features than traditional smartphones. It is waterproof up to 1.5m, can survive accidental drops, and will also work in extreme weather or temperatures.
For the average hiker, sailor, adventurer or outdoor enthusiast, this great rugged smartphone is a reliable tool that will keep you connected no matter where you are, or what you’re doing. For people who work outdoors or in harsh environments like construction workers, electricians or fishermen, this phone is designed just for you.
Another amazing thing about BV9800 Pro is that it can let you see heat with the built-in FLIR® Lepton® thermal imaging camera, ideal for personal and industrial applications. It can be used to find hot spots, people or animals in the dark, detect the electrical failure and moisture issues in a building.
It is also equipped with a 48MP Sony camera for ultra-clear images and includes night scene mode for bright nighttime images. Extra useful features include a massive 6580mAh battery for extended battery life, three positioning systems — GPS, GLONASS, and BeiDou — so you can find your way anywhere in the world. There is also a barometer that is used by the phone’s Altimeter application and a well-positioned fingerprint reader that sits just below the power button.
You can visit the Blackview Store or Aliexpress to check out more details about the Blackview BV9800 Pro.
One of the new features Xiaomi and Redmi phones got last year was a sky replacement filter that allowed users to change the sky in their photos, giving the photo a different look entirely. Now, it has been discovered that the new video editor feature present in the MIUI Gallery app that ships with the Mi 10 series may even come with a cooler filter for videos.
The new feature which is expected to be called “Dynamic Sky Filter” was discovered by an XDA Junior Member that goes by “kacskrz“ in version 2.2.15.2 of the MIUI Gallery app in the most recent China Developer ROM. The feature lets you change the weather in a video. Users will be able to add a snow or rain filter to your videos. The videos below show the rain and snow filter in action.
The feature is expected to be available on the Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro as well as the upcoming Redmi K30 Pro. However, we expect other devices will get the feature later.
Two weather filters are not a lot but we can’t complain since it is not yet official. We hope Xiaomi adds more filters when it eventually releases it.
Xiaomi obviously isn’t interested in pushing the stock Android-rocking Mi A series. How else do we explain the lacklustre manner the company handles the Android 10 update for the models. After a long waiting period and several petitions, Xiaomi started pushing the update for the Mi A3 over the weekend. But one thing was consistent among users that got the update and that is the presence of several bugs, one of which is a non-functional fingerprint scanner. As a result of the complaints, the Chinese company has rolled back the update while it apparently tries to fix the bugs.
The update for the Mi A3 is 1.3GB in size and that is pretty large and we expect a few bugs here and there but the long wait has already mad users weary and now, this. There is even a Reddit thread for users to drop the issues encounter after the update. Even though the official changelog indicates that system stability has been increased and system lag has reduced, there were complaints of the phone rebooting in loops and would only stop when the rear camera is covered, among others.
When Xiaomi first launched the Mi A1 running stock Android, fans outside China were ecstatic about the development. Moreso, it was launched under Google’s Android One programme which meant Android updates would be prompt and regular. However, that hasn’t really been the case. Owners of the company’s latest Mi A3 had to petition Xiaomi over the delay to push the latest update. The update was also reportedly delayed by the Coronavirus outbreak. After the long wait, it still turned out disappointing!
Samsung‘s latest flagship Galaxy S20 models will most likely bore a hole in your pocket except you have a very large pocket. But if you are interested in grabbing a Samsung phone, there several options that still come with latest features including Android 10 updates.
One of such is the Galaxy Note 9 which was launched in 2018 and you won’t have to trade off a kidney to get it. A seller on eBay has got the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 for a surprising $299.99 price tag for the 128GB version. Although the offer is for a refurbished Galaxy Note 9 that will have aftermarket accessories and packaging, the device still is an amazing one., For clarity, the Galaxy Note 9 is presently sold at a premium price of $750 for this same variant.
In addition, the seller, Cellfre, has slammed an impressive 90-day warranty on the model. That is enough time to detect if the model has any inherent issues from the previous owner. These are also fully unlocked models.
As a reminder, the Galaxy Note 9 features a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and 1440 x 2960 pixels screen resolution. The screen is HD10 compliant and also supports Always On Display. The display is also protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass on top. The phone is powered by a rather outdated Snapdragon 845 processor and comes with a built-in S Pen, 6GB of RAM and a decent 12MP dual camera setup. There is also a large 4,000mAh battery, and this model on offer comes in a sleek Ocean Blue hue.
You can avail yourself of this offer using the source link below.
Today, OPPO announced its own payment services for India. Dubbed OPPO Kash, the services will provide users with products such as Mutual funds, Freedom SIP (in partnership with ICICIC Prudential Mutual Funds) Personal Loans, Business Loans, and Screen Insurance.
The OPPO Kash app is still in beta but can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and from OPP App Market. Users will be able to apply for personal loans from INR 8000 to INR 10 lakhs. While business loans start at INR 50,000 and go up to INR 10 crore. Personal loans can be paid back between 3 to 6 months while business loans go up to 36 months.
OPPO also announced two earphones at its Indian launch today. The Enco Free wireless earbuds which already launched in China last December. The truly wireless earbuds are priced at INR 7,990 (~$110). That is just about $10 more than the price in China. The earbuds will be available for purchase starting March 4. OPPO says the first 1000 customers to pre-order the new Reno3 Pro will get a free pair.
The OPPO W31 is a more affordable pair of TWS earbuds as it is priced at INR 4,499 (~$61). The design is different and it has a bass mode and a balanced mode. OPPO says it is the first TWS headphones with 13.4 mm ultra-dynamic speakers. The earbuds will be available in black, pink, and white.
The US ban did hit Huawei in several aspects apart from its smartphone hardware and software parts supply. The ban ensures Huawei was unable to procure the computer chips called base station that is an integral component of the company’s newly introduced high-speed (5G) wireless networks. Huawei, according to its US-based executive Tim Danks, was able to manufacture the base station.
The exec also disclosed that Huawei sold over 50,000 of the next-generation base stations that didn’t have any vestiges of the US at all. This is yet another proof that the company is gradually attaining self-reliance for technological components. However, the sales figure represents just 8% of the total base stations sold by Huawei in February as a total of 600,000 were shipped out.
A base station is a typically suitcase-sized piece of machinery that’s used to help connect wireless phones to fixed-line networks carrying internet traffic, and it’s an essential ingredient in the next, or fifth, generation of mobile networks. Popular among telecommunications providers, Huawei’s base stations are widely considered among the most reliable for the price.
The company is looking to ramp up production on its Hisilicon chip division in order to manufacture more base stations, the exec disclosed. He added that Huawei was still interested in using U.S. technology but is unlikely to return to using them.
Huawei recently unveiled its own HMS as an alternative to GMS. We had earlier reported of fears over if the US will compel TSMC to stop supplying Huawei silicon chips. As a result, Huawei is already working on alternatives to TSMC and SMIC is one of such suppliers that is being positioned if the unexpected happens.
Huawei is expected to announce the flagship P40 series on March 26. Ahead of the launch the company has already adjusted the price tag of the presently Mate 30 series that was released in the second half of 2019 by 500 yuan.
Consequently, the Mate 30 5G (8GB+128GB) is now on offer on Huawei’s flagship store on Jingdong for 4499 yuan ($646) and 4999 yuan (~$718) for the 8GB+256GB version. This is down from the launch prices of 4999 yuan (~$718) price and 5499 yuan (~$789) respectively. This is coming just a couple of weeks after the Mate 30 Pro (8GB+128GB) equally got a price slash.
The Mate 30 5G is one of Huawei’s first 5G flagships that went on sale, alongside the Mate 30 Pro 5Git is the second generation 5G mobile phone. The model is the second -generation 5G model from Huawei after the Mate X 5G was released last year with a 5G modem onboard. This second-generation model packs a Kirin 990 SoC as well as integrates a Balong 5000 5G modem. The 5G chipset onboard the Mate 30 supports dual-mode SA and NSA bands. The new SoC also offers better power management.
It is common practice for OEMs to slightly adjust the prices of their current models when a new smartphone is about launching in the same price category. We, thus, expect the P40 series to adopt a price tag similar to what the Mate 30 was launched with.
Huawei has been working on alternatives to Google apps and Google Mobile Services for a while now. It already launched Huawei Mobile Services and AppGallery, the latter being its own version of the Play Store. What Huawei does not have yet is a search app but its working on one already called Huawei Search and details of the app have surfaced on the web.
News of the Huawei Search App surfaced on the web thanks to a Redditor who revealed that the tech giant was recruiting users to test the Huawei Search app in the UAE. Max Weinbach of XDA Developers gave the app a spin and has provided images of what it looks like as well as details of its features.
The Huawei Search App has a discover section where it displays a news feed. It also has icons for Weather, Sports, Unit Converter, and a Calculator thus putting these tools at the fingertips of the user. You can change the search region or leave it at Global if you wish. There is also a Dark Mode and the option to turn Safe Search on. Huawei will also allow users to choose if they want their search history stored.
Huawei is aware that there are concerns about how it handles user data, so it will please users to know that the service is handled by Aspiegel Limited, a subsidiary of Huawei located in Ireland.
XDA Developers reports that they were not able to determine the search engine Huawei is using for its search app as the results do not match those of search engines such as Yandex, Ask, AOL, Yahoo, or Bing. So there is a probability it has its own search engine as the privacy statement for the app says users can even request to have a search result delisted.
The Huawei Search app still doesn’t compare to Google Search but more features will probably be added as time goes on.
The Black Shark 3 launches tomorrow and when it does, it will come along with a Pro version. Ahead of the launch, an executive of the company has shared a spec sheet that highlights the differences with respect to the display between the standard and the pro model. So, of course, there will be other differences.
The Black Shark 3 and Black Shark 3 Pro are not small devices. The former’s display measures 6.67-inches in size while the latter has a whopping 7.1-inch screen. Both are AMOLED panels with a 90Hz refresh rate but the standard has a 2400 x 1080 resolution while the Black Shark 3 Pro’s resolution is 3120 x 1440. That is all for the differences.
The spec sheet reveals both phones have a JNCD (Just Noticeable Color Difference of 0.55 just like that of the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The displays of the two phones also have a Delta E value less than 1, support DC Dimming, have an independent display chip, have MEMC 2.0, HDR10+, and TruView Color Temperature Adjustment.
It is clear to see that Black Shark is not holding back with respect to the display of its upcoming flagships. More manufacturers are paying attention to the quality of the display in their flagships and gaming phones are not left out.
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Black Shark has also revealed some other details of the phones. They will ship with a new version of Joy UI with special gaming features and a Dark Mode. They will also feature a new cooling system called Sandwich liquid-cooled system (cooling pipes on both sides of the motherboard). The two phones will also feature shoulder buttons that pop-up from the sides and can retract back when no longer needed. Black Shark also revealed today in a promotional video that the phones will support voice control for games, allowing you to control your character by barking commands at the device.
Benchmarking app Master Lu has released the ranking of the top 10 mobile phones that was benchmarked on the app in the month of February 2020. The ranking is based on data collected between the period of February 1 and February 29, 2020, and only take into account smartphone models released within the month.
The list of shows that in the new smartphone performance list, the Samsung S20 series occupies the top three rankings. Among them, the Galaxy S20+ Ultra 5G came first with a total score of 518,184 points. The Galaxy S20 Plus follows closely with 481,541 points and the Galaxy S20 in third place with 481,246 points.
The fourth and fifth places are occupied by the Realme X50 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro. In sixth place is the iQOO3, while the ZTE Axon 10s Pro and Mi 10 occupy the seventh and eighth spots. The Galaxy Z Flip and Huawei Mate Xs foldable flagship phones complete the top 10 rankings.
Most of the models on the list are powered by Qualcomm’ latest Snapdragon 865 chipset except the Galaxy Z Flip with a Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC, the Mate Xs with Kirin 990, Vivo Z6 with Snapdragon 765G SOC and the Xperia 10 11 with a Snapdragon 665 chipset.
To recall, the Snapdragon 865 SoC integrates the Kryo 585 CPU, which consists of four large cores of A77 architecture and four small cores of A55 architecture. The chipset has a maximum frequency of up to 2.84GHz and integrates the latest Adreno 650 GPU. Also important to note is that all the models come with 5G support which is an indication that 5G phones will dominate this year. Already, the 5G supported phones have also extended to mid-range models with the launch of the Vivo Z6 with 5G support.
Recently, China was hit with a major epidemic after a new strain of Coronavirus spread in the country. It originated from the Wuhan district and is known to cause pneumonia. The infection is highly contagious and has been a cause for global alarm. This has now apparently led to smartphone brands like Xiaomi, Apple, and Realme to suffer from a shortage in supply.
Previously, the Chinese government issued a closure of many factories in order to prevent further infections. The move was undertaken in order to curb the infection in areas with a high number of workers. But this has led to a shortage of supply units for smartphones for various brands, especially the ones that have recently launched or have an important launch coming up.
Xiaomi, Realme, and TCL are a few of the local manufacturers that have taken a hit but Apple is reported to be one of the worst affected. The Cupertino based giant was observing higher than normal sales of its latest iPhone 11 series, but the viral outbreak has seemingly crippled its supply chain. This extends to the company’s Apple Watch series as well.
Furthermore, it has been reported that Xiaomi and TCL have been facing a significant shortage in supply for their respective TV models. And since Xiaomi is not limited to any one electronic product, it is also facing issues in its air conditioning department as well. Similarly, Realme is also currently facing the troubles with supply after its latest handset models like the Realme C3 and 5i’s production being affected.
Workers in Foxconn’s factory assemble Apple’s iPhones
As of right now, most of the aforementioned brands have restarted production again in China. Although the capacity at which they are functioning is still around 35-50%. Additionally, some of the components during this period have also gone up in price, causing OEMs to either absorb or hike prices of their products as well. The problem is more pervasive than previously thought out to be as both online and offline retailers are stockpiling products fearing further disruption in the supply chain.
OnePlus, the popular smartphone manufacturer has been an emerging figure in the industry. Although the company is relatively young in the face of many veterans, it has seen immense growth in recent times and has even branched away from smartphones as well. Now, the company apparently has a “surprise” planned out for everyone.
OnePlus had recently tweeted out a new teaser video through its official Twitter handle. Unfortunately, the video shared in the post does not reveal much detail regarding what might be coming up. Although it does seem like the new reveal will not be for an upcoming smartphone. From what we can observe in the video, components of moving mechanism can be observed, which has led to some speculation to surface regarding collaboration with an automobile company.
Previously, OnePlus had partnered with McLaren for the OnePlus 6T and OnePlus 7T Pro, and this may be a step further in a similar direction. Furthermore, the UK branch at OnePlus also tweeted out stills of the video which also revealed something resembling a camera ens surrounded by other machinery.
A possible camera module can be observed in the teaser video
Unfortunately, we will have to wait for 3rd March 2020, which is basically tomorrow, for more news regarding the same. However, a McLaren themed/edition of a camera based concept could be expected. But since the company is currently in the process of branching out, we might be introduced to another field entirely. As of right now, it is still too soon to tell what the company has in store for us. So stay tuned for more details which will arrive tomorrow.
Since the beginning of this year, Nubia has been teasing on the arrival of the Red Magic 5G gaming phone. The Chinese firm has already revealed some of the key features and specs of the phone. The images of the phone have also appeared in the recent reports. Finally, the company released an official confirmation today that it will be announcing the Red Magic 5G smartphone on March 12.
The company has proudly boasted that the Red Magic 5G phone will be the world’s first gaming phone with 5G capabilities to arrive with a 144Hz refresh rate supporting screen. The device that has a model number of NX659J has recently appeared on TENAA with minimal specs and images. The Red Magic 5G phone has a 6.65-inch display and its dimensions are 168.56 × 78 × 9.75 mm.
The images of the smartphone have revealed that it will be sporting red and blue dual colored metallic rear. The vertical camera setup on the backside of the device has three lenses. The same strip seems to house an RBG LED lit Red Magic branding.
The Snapdragon 865 mobile platform will be present under the hood of the Red Magic 5G smartphone. The phone will arrive with support for NSA and SA dual-mode 5G networks. The SoC of the phone could be coupled with up to 16 GB of RAM. The custom Red Magic OS based Android 10 OS will come preloaded on the device. Nubia CEO Ni Fei has revealed that the phone has scored 633K+ score on AnTuTu benchmarks.
The triple camera of the Red Magic 5G phone is expected to house the 64-megapixel Sony IMX686 as the primary shooter. To reduce the internal temperature during intensive gaming, the phone will come equipped with air-cooled liquid cooling technology. The handset will also arrive with support for low latency wireless casting. The 4,500mAh battery phone may arrive with a 55W fast charger.
Wireless charging is not a relatively new concept or technology. It has been commercially available, especially for smartphones, for a while now. However, the technology was always a step or two behind its wired counterpart. But with recent advancements and breakthroughs, the efficiency and effectiveness of the technology are improving, examples of this arrive as Xiaomi demos a new 40W wireless fast charger.
Chang Cheng, the Vice President of Xiaomi group, has recently shared a video on his official Weibo account, a Chinese microblogging website. The video detailed a modified version of the Mi 10 Pro with a 4,000mAh battery. This test model was then charged by the new wireless fast charger that was capable of charging it to 57% is just 20 minutes, while achieving full charge by 40 minutes.
The prototype wireless fast charger used in the tests is reported to house a vertical air cooler, helping in regulating thermals. As of right now, the Mi Charge Turbo which provides a 30W charging solution is the best wireless charging offering from the Chinese tech giant that is commercially available. Thus, the prototype seen in the video might soon be launched as well, considering its 40W charging technology is not a significant leap over the current iteration.
Xiaomi had been at the forefront of wireless charging solutions up until recently when the Vivo Apex 2020 launched. The device is a concept smartphone and one of its highlighting features was the 60W wireless fast charging it arrived with, as it did not support any ports for wired charging. But the handset is not commercially available, so we may have to wait for Xiaomi or Vivo offerings to arrive with a product that supports such high charging rates and are also ready for mass production
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