Huawei may have got temporary relief last week after the UK and the EU decided to allow the Chinese telecommunications giant to participate in its 5G deployment, however, the US is reportedly working on an alternative 5G standard that will be compatible with almost any 5G hardware equipment. With this move, the US wants to rely more on software that could potentially reduce the use of Huawei’s 5G equipment.
According to the WSJ report, the White House, Dell, and Microsoft believe that software is the key for 5G development rather than hardware. So, the US is reportedly working with top tech companies like Microsoft, Dell, and AT&T to create a common 5G software standard for telecommunications networks. The idea here is to allow 5G software developers to create and run code on all 5G equipment, irrespective of the hardware manufacturer.
The report adds that European companies like Nokia and Ericsson could also be a part of this effort given how they have a strong presence in the US.
In response to this report, Andy Purdy, Huawei’s chief U.S. security officer said, “If the U.S. wants 5G hardware and software developed by a U.S. or European company, the government should encourage companies to begin negotiations with Huawei to license our 5G technology,” Mr. Purdy also added that without the company’s intellectual property, “the combined product will be 1-2 years behind the comparable Huawei products in terms of functionality and assurance.”
Huawei is currently the top 5G equipment manufacturer in the world
This news comes right after Huawei announced its plans to establish new manufacturing bases in Europe. This means Huawei can use European made telecommunication equipment for 5G deployment in the region.
Earlier today (5th February 2020), the Xiaomi Youpin platform released a protective breathing face mask. The face mask is rated F95 and has been designed for children. It is easier to breathe through than conventional face masks and provides a better fit for Asians.
The F95 face mask is capable of filtering bacteria, viruses, PM2.5 particles, dust and more. The children’s mask has been designed with ages over 6 years old and implements a four layer filtering structure, with air being purified in each layer. This effectively cleanses nearly 95 percent of PM2.5 particles from the air around the user and even arrives with a nano bacterial coating to prevent infection from cuts.
In comparison to traditional face masks, the breathing resistance of the F95 certified mask is way lower than that of a conventional KN95 standard mask. Thus, it is more suitable for children or users of young age. Furthermore, the face mask has been built with Asian faces in mind as the people behind it researched the Asian facial structure to provide a better fit with 3D sealing covering Chinese children’s faces.
The strap of the face mask is also made to be user friendly and features elastic silicone material that is skin friendly. The material makes it easier to wear and allows for the length of the strap to be adjusted as well. For air circulation, the mask lets the airflow circulate in from the left and out from the right.
The left is colored blue while the right is colored red. This leaves less space for air to be trapped on the inside of the mask and ensures smoother breathing. Every part of the face mask can be cleaned and disinfected using a mild detergent, excluding the filter of the mask which needs to be replaced. It is currently available on Xiaomi’s Youping platform online and is priced at 199 Yuan (roughly 29 US Dollars).
Amidst the Coronavirus virus outbreak, logistics robots are playing a huge role to ensure smooth operations of the material supply chain in some of the worst affected areas in China. According to the official WeChat statement of Jingdong Logistics, technology is currently playing an important role in its distribution network. With smart warehouses and drones to distribution robots, smart supermarkets, and sales counters, JD Logistics is fighting the epidemic on Ground Zero.
JD Logistics currently has over 70 intelligent warehouses throughout China where robots like Earth Wolf, Sirius, and AGV are working round the clock under supervision to meet large-scale distribution demands. JD Logistics serves eight large economic circles in China including the Yangtse river delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and more. Intelligent logistics services currently play a critical role in ensuring smooth operations amidst the Coronavirus crisis.
With the help of robots at the frontline, JD Logistics has been able to successfully reduce the chances of infection by keeping personnel away from the worst affected areas. In order to normalize intelligent distribution, JD Logistics has deployed additional robots in the Wuhan region. The company has also set up smart distribution stations at Hohhot and Guiyang cities.
JD Logistics
With the use of robots, JD Logistics has been able to consistently deliver materials and fulfill orders required to fight the deadly Coronavirus, without running the risk of infecting even more people. JD Logistics is already planning to use drones to deliver materials safely in Shaanxi, Hebei, Jiangsu and the areas quarantined by the government.
The Effect of Coronavirus on the Global Smartphone Distribution Network
Some of the major electronics companies affected by the pandemic include Apple and Samsung, while Xiaomi has temporarily shut offline stores across the country in the wake of the incident. iPhone production will be affected as Foxconn, one of Apple’s primary suppliers has shut down its production facility complying with the government’s recent rule to combat the Coronavirus outbreak.
Accessories for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S20 series will also make a delayed entry as equipment manufacturers have also halted production. As far as smartphones are concerned, Samsung is unlikely to take a major hit, as its production facilities are not dependent entirely on China. However, certain ODM products like the Galaxy A01 might run out of stock for a brief period.
Earlier this week, a patent application that Apple had previously applied for had been granted. The patent was for a new foldable device which features a unique hinge mechanism that allows the flaps to move, preventing the device’s display from creasing or getting damaged when folding.
The patent was published by the US Patent and Trademark Office and provides a description of the new hinge mechanism. According to the Apple patent, the hinge is capable of providing separation between the two halves of the display from the middle, allowing for the flap to converge when unfolded and separate when being folded inward.
Apple patented a unique hinge design for a foldable device
The new hinge mechanism is being implemented to tackle a fundamental issue that plagues smartphones with a foldable display, i.e creasing. Examples of this would be Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X. These handsets are successful in implementing the display but still suffer from the crease problem. However, the new hinge mechanism detailed by Apple seeks to prevent this altogether.
From the images, it can be observed that the hinge is not a centralized and singular mechanism. The images detail its functioning and movement that cojoins both halves of the display via a twin movable mechanism.
Foldable smartphones target a niche market of smartphone enthusiasts. As it stands right now, the handsets are not commercially viable for a broader audience and market. But, innovation and further development could lead to a few unique and affordable designs being adopted in the future. Apple seems to be looking into the design as well, considering this isn’t its first foldable smartphone patent.
ZTE has reached out to us to confirm that they will be attending the tech show in Barcelona later this month. The company will showcase 5G end-to-end devices as well as a number of 5G devices at the event.
Also, ZTE will take a few precautionary measures to ensure the safety of everyone at the MWC event. Here’s an excerpt from the press release sent to us.
After the Novel coronavirus outbreak, in addition to responding actively and organizing resources to ensure telecommunication service in the affected areas, ZTE always put the health of our employees and customers as a priority. In accordance with the relevant guidelines of the Chinese health department and WHO, ZTE has adopted a series of strong prevention, control, and safeguard measures.
1. ZTE will ensure that all employees from mainland China, including non-Chinese nationals, have no symptoms for 2 weeks before departure and arrival in the MWC. Additionally, at the current time, all employees are required to undergo 2 weeks of self-isolation to ensure the health and safety of all our staff.
2. ZTE will ensure that all the senior executives of our company participating in the high-level meetings will self-isolate themselves in Europe for at least two weeks prior to MWC.
3. ZTE will ensure that the exhibition stand and equipment are disinfected daily.
4. ZTE will ensure that our booth presentation staff are all from countries outside China, and mainly from Europe. At the same time, we are working closely with the GSMA to ensure that you have a safe, comfortable and meaningful visit.
Original story as follows.
Mobile World Congress 2020 is se to take place from 24th February to 27th February in Barcelona, Spain. While it has been confirmed that the event will take place, a few companies are withdrawing from the event citing coronavirus outbreak.
LG and ZTE both have confirmed that they won’t be holding their respective launch events at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. While LG has cited coronavirus as the reason behind the decision, ZTE has citied logistical issues as well as coronavirus as the reason to not attend MWC this year.
Commenting on this, LG spokesperson said that “With the safety of its employees and general public foremost in mind, LG has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020 later this month in Barcelona, Spain. This decision will prevent needlessly exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel, which most health experts have advised. In lieu of its participation in MWC, LG will be holding separate events in the near future to announce its 2020 mobile products.”
ZTE, on the other hand, said that it is canceling MWC 2020 press conference because of practical issues like travel and visa delays. It has also cited secondary effects of the virus outbreak as one of the reason.
For those who are unaware, MWC is a smartphone-centric conference which is held annually every February in Barcelona. GSMA, which organises the event, has also issued a number of measures to mitigate risk, including a no-handshake policy at the show and more aggressive hygiene measures around speaker microphones and demo booths.
Coronavirus, which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has impacted a lot of people and has been declared as global emergency. Because of the virus, around 400 people have been reported dead while more than 20,000 are sick.
To contain it, China has taken substantial steps, including restrictions on travel to and from mainland China and business operations within the country. This has severely impacted production and supply chain of several consumer electronics companies, including Apple, Samsung, ASUS, among others.
After a wait for over a year, including uncountable leaks, rumors, and certifications, the new Poco device is finally here. The company launched Poco X2 at an event in New Delhi. The newly launched smartphone offers competitive specifications at an aggressive price. It is the rebranded version of Redmi K30, which was launched last year in China.
Along with the specifications, Poco X2 and Redmi K30 have a lot in common. They share the same Kernel source code, same custom MODs, custom ROMs, and a lot more. It would be beneficial for the third-party developers to craft custom ROMs and MODs for multiple devices with the same source code. Surprisingly, the Poco X2 bootloader can be unlocked just after three days than the usual week’s time.
It seems Xiaomi has started moving on to Samsung’s policy of diversity across different countries. In the past, Xiaomi had launched different devices sharing the same specs. The smartphones like the Poco F1, Mi 8, Mi Mix 3 are some excellent examples of rebranding in the past. The interested users can grab the kernel source code of Poxo X2 by visiting the GitHub here.
Poco X2 features a 6.67-inch display with a 20:9 aspect ratio. The display sports 120Hz refresh rate for better gaming performance and sports full HD+ resolution. Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G powers the device while Adreno 618 GPU is present for graphics. The liquid cooling technology will further enhance the gaming by cooling the device 300% faster.
It available in three storage variants of 64GB + 6GB, 128GB + 6GB and 8GB + 256GB. In Optics, the smartphone features a quad camera consisting of a 64-megapixel camera, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. There’s a dual front camera module with a 20-megapixel primary and 2-megapixel depth sensor.
A 4500 mAh battery with 27W fast charging is present in the smartphone along with a headphone jack.
AnTuTu also published its ranking of the top 10 most-powerful midrange model. What makes this ranking interesting is the rich lend of mid-range SoCs that power the models ranked among the top 10.
Top of the pack is the OPPO Reno3 powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 1000L processor. The device pulled an average score of 397965 points. OPPO first launched Dimensity 1000L at the end of the year 2019 onboard the Reno3 series. The Dimensity 1000L is built with a 7nm process, has built-in eight cores, and uses the Cortex-A77 architecture, while the GPU uses the G77 architecture. The SoC also comes with built-in 5G baseband and supports NSA / SA dual-mode 5G.
The Reno3 5G is followed by the Vivo X30 Pro 5G (8GB+128GB) with an average score of 326851. The X30 Pro is fired up by a Samsung Exynos 980 chipset. The Snapdragon 765-powered Redmi K30 5G completes the top 3.
EDITOR’S PICK: Poll of The Week: Vertically Folding Phones or Horizontally Folding Phones?
The OPPO Reno3 Pro 5G comes in at number 4 and it is powered by the same Snapdragon 765G chipset. Honor 9X Pro, Huawei Nova 6 SE and Honor 20S all powered by the Kirin 810 chipset rank as the 5th, 6th and 7th most powerful with slight differences in their AnTuTu average score.
The Redmi Note 8 Pro powered by a MediaTek Helio G90T SoC is at the 8th spot while the Redmi K30 4G running a Snapdragon 730G is ranked at number 9 with an average score of 275323 points. The Redmi K30 4G recently made an appearance as POCO X2 in India. Finally, the OPPO Reno2 equally appeared on the list, averaging 267809 points.
Last month, Xiaomi split its POCO brand into an independent entity and recently the company launched the Redmi K30 4G smartphone in the Indian market as POCO X2.
When the brand was split from the parent company, it was believed that the POCO brand will be focused towards the Indian market. However, it has now been confirmed that the POCO will be launched in China as well.
Chang Cheng, the newly joined Vice President of Xiaomi, has confirmed that the POCO brand will debut in China. He has revealed this in response to a user’s question on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo.
Poco India General Manager C Manmohan had emphasized that the split between Poco India and Xiaomi wouldn’t affect Poco’s existing philosophy which is summarized in the brand’s slogan – “everything you need, nothing you don’t”.
He had also said that “Poco will get a product team of its own, a sales team of its own, and a marketing team of its own.” But for now, Poco will continue to utilise the established presence of Xiaomi.
Initially, the band is aiming to cater to the online space, though it is open to establishing offline channels over time. Manmohan revealed that the company wouldn’t sell its future devices through Xiaomi-exclusive Mi Home stores, though.
C Manmohan also confirmed that POCO will continue its philosophy of launching value-for-money smartphones despite not knowing the price segments in which it will launch its new devices. He also didn’t completely refute the reports suggesting there are multiple Poco phones in the works, hinting that new phones are coming.
Samsung will be announcing the Galaxy S20 series on Tuesday in the coming week. Early leaks had claimed that the successors of the Galaxy S10 series will be arriving as Galaxy S11e, Galaxy S11 and Galaxy S11+. While multiple reports have confirmed that these devices will be respectively arriving as Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra, Samsung did not confirm these monikers. Winfuture.de has reported that an LED case for the Galaxy S20 was found listed on Samsung’s website in Europe. The listing that has been taken down revealed the Galaxy S20 moniker and its design. Moreover, in another leak, the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G has appeared in a live shot.
Marketing images of the LED case for Galaxy S20 was available on Samsung’s online shop for Europe for some time. The images on the listing revealed corroborate on the leaked images that have appeared in the recent reports. The Galaxy S20 was seen with an Infinity-O punch-hole display and its rear shell was seen sporting a gray colored cover that has randomly placed LEDs. The case is similar to the LED case that was made available for the Galaxy S10.
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The Galaxy S20’s rear shell has a rectangle shaped camera module. As recent reports revealed, it houses three cameras and an LED flash. The Galaxy S20+ will be sporting four rear cameras and the Galaxy S20 Ultra will be arriving with an advanced quad camera setup on its back. These three phones will come with 120Hz refresh rate displays. The S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra are rumored to respectively feature 6.2-inch, 6.7-inch and 6.9-inch displays.
Speaking of Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, a leaked live shot of the device has appeared. As it can be seen, the device is equipped with a large and protruding camera module. It consists of three cameras and an LED flash at the top and a separately placed squarish periscope lens. The “Space Zoom 100X” text can be seen alongside the fourth lens. The S20 Ultra 5G will be the first phone to arrive with up 100x digital zoom function which is dubbed as Space Zoom by the company. Rumors have it that the Galaxy S20 will support 10x optical zoom. The device includes a primary sensor of 108-megapixel.
Apart from launching the Galaxy S20 series on Feb. 11, Samsung is also expected to announce the clamshell Galaxy Z Flip smartphone with foldable screen. In the U.S., the Galaxy S20 series will have a starting price of $999. The Z Flip may cost $1,399.
Last year, Samsung revamped its budget and mid-range offering with the new Galaxy A-series as well as Galaxy M-series smartphones. The company recently launched the Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71 devices and now the company has teased the launch of yet another A-series smartphone — Samsung Galaxy M31.
As per the new teaser shared by two YouTubers, the Samsung Galaxy M31 will come with a 64-megapixel primary camera sensor. As the name itself suggests, the device will be a successor to the Galaxy M30s launched in India last year.
The teaser reveals the phone’s name and proclaims a 64MP camera with the tagline “Mega Monster”. The tagline suggests that the phone could come packed with a 6,000mAh battery as its predecessor, beating all of its competitors.
Apart from this, nothing much about the upcoming smartphone is known at this point in time. However, reports indicate that the 64MP sensor on the phone could be the company’s own 64MP ISOCELL GW1 sensor.
However, the smartphone recently passed through Bluetooth SIG and Wi-Fi certification process, which revealed that it will come running Android 10 operating system out-of-the-box and will feature dual-band Wi-Fi support as well as Bluetooth 5.0.
As per the rumors, the device will feature a quad-camera setup on the back. Along with the 64MP primary sensor, it will come with an ultra-wide-angle sensor, a depth sensor, and a macro sensor.
It is said to come powered by the same Samsung Exynos 9611 SoC that powers its predecessor. The device is also expected to pack 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of expandable storage.
We expect more details about the smartphone to surface online in the coming days and with that, the device is expected to be launched in a couple of weeks. Since the Galaxy M30s has also received a price cut, the device could get launched soon in India.
In April 2017, Xiaomi had launched the Xiaomi Mi 6 flagship smartphone. Few months after its launch, some reports had revealed that the Chinese firm will be launching as an advanced version of the Mi 6 called Xiaomi Mi 6 Plus. Probably, the company decided on cancelling the device. Today, a popular tipster from China shared some live shots of the unreleased Xiaomi Mi 6 Pro smartphone. The images show that the phone would have arrived with pressure-sensitive buttons.
In the images below, the cancelled Xiaomi Mi 6 Pro can be seen sporting a quad curved screen by LG Display. The thick forehead of the device has a selfie camera and an earpiece. The large chin of the device has a fingerprint sensor integrated capacitive home button.
The back side of the Xiaomi Mi 6 Pro seems to be made out of glass. The Xiaomi Mi 6 had a horizontal dual camera setup whereas the cancelled Mi 6 Pro had an LED flash assisted vertical dual camera system. The USB-C port can be seen at the bottom of the phone. It is not clearly visible whether the phone had a 3.5mm audio jack in its bottom edge. In terms of appearance, the unreleased Xiaomi Mi 6 Pro also appears like the Xiaomi Mi Note 3 that was introduced in September.
An interesting thing about the Xiaomi Mi 6 Pro is that it does not feature any physical buttons on the right and left edges. The leakster claims that the phone had virtual pressure-sensitive buttons. The top edge of the Mi 6 Pro has a physical restart button. Also, it is a water-resistant device. Like the Xiaomi Mi 6, the Pro version was expected to arrive with Snapdragon 835 mobile platform.
Xiaomi never confirmed on the existence of Xiaomi Mi 6 Pro / Plus smartphone. Hence, it is not known why the company decided to cancel it. It could be because the year 2017 marked the arrival of phones with full screen displays. The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 that came in September 2017 sport a tri-bezeless display design. From 2018, the company started launching smartphones with notched screens like the Xiaomi Mi 8 series.
Xiaomi is now working on the arrival of the Xiaomi Mi 10 series. The Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi Pro 5G phones will be debuting with punch-hole displays. The launch date of the Mi 10 series will be confirmed soon. Instead of an offline event, the company has reportedly planned to hold an online live conference because of Coronavirus outbreak in China.
Huawei is set to release the P40 series any moment from now and the designs of the models are almost confirmed. After the P40, the next major flagship model that Huawei will unveil in the course of the year is the Mate 40 series. A set of concept renders for the Huawei Mate 40 have now emerged. The renders envision a design that looks futuristic even more than the Xiaomi Alpha.
The concept creator envisions a Mate 40 model with a transparent glass build but we doubt if such a design will be used in the near future. The Mi 8 Explorer Edition came with a transparent back panel and it turned out to be very popular even though we got to know the panel on display isn’t the phone’s actual panel. The Xperia Pureness and Lenovo S800 were two Candybar phones with a physical keyboard that adopted the transparent design. So, a transparent design may end up being very popular whenever OEM finds a way to implement it in this smartphone era. But for now, this design is just an unrealistic concept.
Furthermore, the concept shows the device will have an under-display camera design and that may extend to the rear cameras. The phone may equally ditch a wired charging for wireless charging technology.
Xiaomi’s sub-brand which recently became independent from the company just announced the Poco X2 in India: its second smartphone alias the successor of the famous affordable flagship known as Pocophone F1 in the global market. The new model is essentially a rebranded version of the Redmi K30 with no difference. And we think it is worth comparing it with its predecessor which is currently sold in the Indian market at a similar price: Redmi K20. Unlike what you might think, this comparison is all but obvious. Although the Poco X2 is the successor of the Redmi K20, it does not necessarily mean it is a better deal for everyone.
Thanks to this specs comparison, you will understand why.
Despite being a 2019 mid-ranger, the design of the Redmi K20 still looks amazing. Unlike the Poco X2 that comes with a dual punch-hole display, the Redmi K20 has a holeless display, no notch, and no punch-hole, thanks to a motorized pop-up camera. That is why I personally prefer its aesthetics over the Poco X2.
The presence of a pop-up camera hasn’t increased its thickness. The Redmi K20 has exactly the same thickness as the Poco X2 and it even weighs less. On both devices, you get a glass back protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and an aluminum frame. But only the Poco X2 is splash resistant, while Redmi K20 does not offer any kind of protection against water.
Display
The display of the Poco X2 is very innovative thanks to its high 120 Hz refresh rate, but it is an IPS panel and some might not prefer it over AMOLED. On the other hand, Redmi K20 lacks a high refresh rate, but it offers an AMOLED display (with HDR support just like the Poco X2) as well as an under-display fingerprint scanner (on the Poco X2, there is a side-mounted fingerprint reader).
The 120Hz refresh rate is definitely a big leap over the 60Hz AMOLED screen on the K20. But end of the day, it’s going to be a personal choice. You have to choose between a high-refresh-rate LCD screen over a regular refresh rate AMOLED display with better colors.
Both displays are protected by Gorilla Glass 5, but Poco X2 has dual punch-hole cameras, while Redmi K20 is notch-less and holeless thanks to a pop-up camera.
Specs & Software
Poco X2 and Redmi K20 are powered by the Snapdragon 730G and the Snapdragon 730 chipsets, respectively. The Snapdragon 730G offers higher graphics performance than Snapdragon 730, while for the rest they are essentially the same chipset. So if you are a gamer and you care about GPU, Poco X2 is way better. Further, Poco X2 features expandable storage, while Redmi K20 does not have a memory card slot. Last but not the least, Poco X2 has Android 10 out of the box, while Redmi K20 ships with Android 9 Pie since it was released in June 2019.
Camera
Poco X2 offers more cameras on the rear side, but Redmi K20 has a more interesting setup, thanks to the presence of a telephoto sensor. The telephoto lens is way harder to find on a mid-range smartphone compared to the kind of sensors found on the Poco X2. But the Poco X2 wins when it comes to front cameras, thanks to a dual 20 + 2 MP setup including a depth sensor.
Anyways, both are midrange camera phones, so do not expect anything special from them. However, lately, mid-range smartphone cameras are capable enough to give you excellent captures, comparable to more expensive devices. So both the devices will offer good quality samples, especially in bright daylight.
Poco X2 has a bigger 4500 mAh battery and it should last a lot more on a single charge, despite featuring a less efficient display. Further, it has a faster-charging technology with 27W power, while Redmi K20 features a 4000 mAh battery with 18W fast charging.
So, on the battery side, X2 wins the comparison.
Price
Despite being the successor of the Redmi K20, The Pocophone X2 starts from a more affordable price tag than Redmi K20 in India. The handset just debuted in the Indian market with a starting price tag of just Rs. 15,999 for the base variant (6/64 GB), which roughly translates into about $225 at the current exchange change. The intermediate configuration with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage costs Rs. 16,999 which roughly translates into $239, while the most powerful version with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB native storage costs Rs. 19,999 that is equivalent to about $281.
For Rs. 19,999, you can currently get just the base variant of the Redmi K20 which offers 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage (and we are talking about the street price). I would personally prefer the Poco X2 aka Redmi K30 not only for its higher value for money but also because of its splash-resistant design, high refresh rate, better chipset, wider display, micro SD support and a bigger battery with faster charging.
Note that the Redmi K20 actually offers a more interesting AMOLED panel and cameras, as well as an in-display fingerprint reader, so you should not underestimate it. In both cases, you get an amazing mid-ranger.
What would be your choice with the current pricing?
Most laptops come in gray, silver, and black, but lately, PC manufacturers have begun experimenting with new colors and materials. The latest to do so is MSI and they have announced a stunningly beautiful Rose Pink version of their Prestige 14 laptop.
The Rose Pink MSI Prestige 14 (A10SC) doesn’t just have a pink shell but also has a pink keyboard, trackpad, and bezels. While this color is regarded as feminine by a lot of people, you don’t have to be a girl or a woman to purchase this beauty.
The MSI Prestige 14 retains the same specs as the Pure White and Carbon Grey color variants. It has a 14-inch FHD IPS display, an Intel Core i7-10710U processor with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 4GB GDDR5 graphics card, 16GB LPDDR3 RAM, and 512GB NVMe SSD.
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It also has a backlit keyboard, Bluetooth 5.0, and WiFi 6. For connectivity, there are 2 x Thunderbolt 3 ports, 2 x USB 2.0 ports, an audio port, and an SD card slot. The MSI Prestige 14 has a 50Whr battery and charges with a 90W AC adapter. It ships with Windows 10 Pro out of the box.
The Rose Pink Prestige 14 is priced at $1399 on Amazon and $1400 on NewEgg. The laptop ships with a pink mouse, pink laptop carrying case, and a pink keychain.
MSI’s computer isn’t the first pink-colored PC. Last year, Razer announced a pink Blade Stealth laptop alongside pink variants of several of its gaming products.
Chinese benchmark outfit AnTuTu has released the popular ranking of the top 10 flagship smartphones that ran through the app in the month of January 2020. The ranking is based on data collected between January 1 and January 31. 2020. Also, it is based on the average score of over 1000 and not just the highest score.
The list, as usual, is dominated by models running Qualcomm’s chipset and this time around eight out of the top 10 models are powered by the Snapdragon 855+ chipset. At the top of the list is the Vivo iQOO Neo with an average score of 504796 points. It is closely followed by the Vivo iQOO Pro 5G with a score of 502,288. The Vivo NEX 3 5G comes in at the third spot with an average score of 498223 points.
The OnePlus 7T Pro and OnePlus 7T occupy the 4th and 5th spots respectively with an average score of 496123 points and 495733 points. The two models are equally powered by a Snapdragon 855+ chipset.
At the number 6 – 10 positions are the ASUS ROG gaming phones 2 8+128GB version (491491 points), Realme X2 Pro 8GB+128GB version (484106 points), Honor V30 Pro 5G 8 + 256GB version (481121 points), OPPO Reno Ace 8 + 256GB version (476144 points) and Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G 8 + 256GB (472698 points). We must note that the Honor V30 Pro and Mate 30 Pro are the only non-Qualcomm powered models on the list. Both models are powered by an Hisilicon Kirin 990 chipset.
With the expected launch of the Snapdragon 865-powered models this February, we may likely have to wait until March before we’ll start seeing changes to the top 10 most-powerful flagship list.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 series will be launching soon but its not the only high profile launch we are expecting this quarter. There is Huawei’s P40 series too but which has no launch date yet. Today, a live photo alleged to be that of the Huawei P40 Pro has leaked and it shows the device with practically no bezels.
The alleged Huawei P40 Pro has a pill-shaped punch hole at the top left corner with two cameras inside it. The display is curved at the sides just like that of the Mate 30 Pro but leaked renders of the P40 Pro have shown the device has physical volume buttons, unlike the Mate 30 Pro that has virtual buttons.
Also, compared to last year’s Mate flagship, the bezels on the P40 Pro are significantly thinner. They are actually there but they are really thin compared to that of several other devices.
Huawei will announce the P40 Pro alongside the standard P40, as well as a P40 Premium Edition. There should also be a mid-range P40 Lite.
The Huawei P40 series (save for the P40 Lite) will come with the Kirin 990/Kirin 990 5G processor. The Pro version is expected to have a QHD+ OLED display with an in-display fingerprint scanner. It will also have four rear cameras including a periscope lens for optical zoom.
Huawei P40 Pro in Mint Green
The P40 Pro is also rumored to have a 5500mAh battery with support for fast wired and fast wireless charging. A leaked press render revealed the phone will be available in Mint Green.
There is no confirmation the above device is the Huawei P40 Pro, so we advise you to take it with a pinch of salt. While it does have a pill-shaped punch hole, the curved display doesn’t match what we have seen in leaked renders. This device may actually be the Huawei P40 Premium Edition and not the P40 Pro.
Huawei and ZTE are urging the FCC not to label them as a ‘National Security Risk’. The agency had initially voted to designate the two tech giants as security risks for the US back in November 2019. But the final decision rests with the agency’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. And both companies are hoping that this risk designation won’t be finalized by the Bureau.
In a 200-page filing by Huawei, the telecommunications giant said that FCC’s efforts to designate it as a national security risk was, “designed to implement a campaign by certain government officials, including members of Congress, to single out Huawei for burdensome and stigmatizing restrictions, put it out of business in the United States, and impugn its reputation here and around the world.” In a similar move, ZTE’s filings asked FCC to assess the company’s efforts in “enhancements in the area of U.S. export controls and economic sanction compliance and security controls in ZTE products”.
Huawei has long argued that the US ban doesn’t provide any proof to support its claims of “backdoor access” or “national security threat”. It also adds that competitors like Nokia and Ericsson make some of their telecommunications equipment in China, exposing them to similar risks. In fact, back in December 2019, Huawei filed a lawsuit against the US government over FCC’s branding of the company as a ‘National Security Risk’.
Google Search has become an intuitive window to services such as flight bookings, SOS alerts, conversions and much more. In addition to these services, Google today announced an impressive prepaid mobile recharge feature for its users in India. It will help the users to recharge the prepaid mobile number simply and rapidly by simply typing ‘prepaid mobile recharge’.
The new feature will allow users to search, compare and recharge their prepaid mobile phones directly from the search page itself. Moreover, the user can compare discounts from retailers including Paytm, Freecharge, Google Pay and MobiKwik.
After confirming the number and carrier details, the user can compare recharge plans, and then can select a third-party recharge platform to complete the transaction. Upon a successful transaction, the app redirects the user back to Google Search with relevant customer support information.
Google Search Prepaid Recharge feature currently supports Airtel, Vodafone-Idea, Jio, and BSNL. Surprisingly, the new feature is limited for Android users until now.
“Prepaid cellular subscribers use a variety of ways to recharge their mobile phone. Today, we make it easier for people in India to recharge prepaid SIMs with a new Google Search experience,” Google said in a blog while announcing the new feature.
Google is planning to add a few more payment providers and a couple more carriers to the list in the coming weeks.
After almost 18 months, POCO has announced its second smartphone, the POCO X2. You can read about the device which is actually a rebranded Redmi K30 4G.
The POCO X2 is not only the brand’s second smartphone since it launched in 2018 but this is its first smartphone as an independent brand. If you have not been following the news, it will interest you to know that POCO is no longer a sub-brand under Xiaomi but is now an “independent” company.
With the launch of the new phone comes some new developments. The first is that production has stopped for the POCO F1. This info was revealed by C. Manmohan, the general manager of POCO India, in a chat with India Today Tech.
When asked what the reason behind the decision was, he hinted that Qualcomm was halting the production of the Snapdragon 845 chipset that powers the POCO F1. Asides that, it has been 18 months already since the launch and very few manufacturers keep producing old devices. This can also be a marketing decision to get people to purchase their new phone.
As at the time of writing, the only place you can pick up a brand new POCO F1 (in India) is at Mi Home stores and on Flipkart and Amazon India. No, it is no longer available on Mi.com. We don’t know how much stock is available but once available stock is finished, don’t expect it to be available anymore. For those who want to pick up the POCO X2, they can only do so on Flipkart (it is not sold on Mi.com).
We are not surprised the new phone is not listed on Xiaomi’s online store since POCO India has its own website but we expected it would be available on Poco.in. We presume POCO is not ready to have its own online store yet and may not even do so for a while since it technically only has one product.
There is no news yet on when POCO’s flagship phone, expected to launch as the POCO F2, will launch, but we will let you know once we do.
It is happening for the first time that OnePlus resumed a single update for the fourth time. OnePlus started Android 10 rollout for OnePlus 6/6T a few months ago, but some issues kept arising and the company has to put it on hold multiple times. Precisely, the company has stopped rollout thrice due to several problems. Moving forward, the company has resumed the update for the fourth time.
The users are a bit reluctant to install the update and are waiting for some insights before proceeding. We also recommend waiting for some days before pulling the final plugs to install the Android 10 on OnePlus 6/6T.
The new Android 10 update build should be more stable than the previous ones. OnePlus should have tweaked with various fixes and improvements for a bug-free experience. The changelog is as follows:
System
Fixed the issue with a black screen appearing after unlocking the device using fingerprint
Fixed the issue with the animation logo while rebooting the device
Fixed the issue with device heating up while charging
Fixed the random disconnection issue with 5Ghz Hotspot
Improved system stability and fixed general bugs
Updated Android security patch to 2019.12
Camera
Optimized the image preview time in the Pro mode
Fixed the camera crash issue
Gallery
Fixed the issue with videos and images not displaying in Gallery
We hope the recent build would sail-through all the obstacles that are being faced by OnePlus 6/6T.
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