Oppo Reno3 vs Redmi K30 5G vs Honor V30: Specs Comparison

Honor MagicWatch 2 Limited Edition unveiled with unique deisgn choices

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Jan 22, 2020

Despite being just a couple months old, new avatars of the Honor MagicWatch 2 have just been unveiled. Collaborating with multiple artists, Honor has come up with a range of funky designs as part of the Limited Edition package. The MagicWatch 2 Limited Edition is adorned with colorful bezels, bands, and themes and has been designed by “a number of rising stars from the world of art and graphic design” according to Honor’s official statement.

Honor unveiled the limited edition designs at a special event held in London on January 21. Some of the artists in question are Giovanni Ozzola, George Greaves, Wag DongLing, and Jacky Tsai. Inspired by what seems like jazzy swatches at first glance, the designs draw inspiration from the world of photographers, sculptors, graphics designers, and illustrators. Behind the façade is the same old MagicWatch 2 that Honor launched back in November 2019.

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The Honor MagicWatch 2 Limited Edition features built-in themes matching its unique style, and is part of the company’s aggressive push into the smart-wearables category. A move to further establish an independent identity away from parent company Huawei.

The official statement by George Zhao, Honor’s President read, “We are dedicated to bringing customers the latest in cutting-edge technology, coupled with the newest fashion trends. Our products are funky on the outside and smart on the inside and embody our free spirit. Our range of uniquely-designed products ensures that you have something to wear on every occasion”.

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Editor’s Pick: Honor MagicBook laptops and Vision TV to soon launch in India

There is a limited number of watch faces/themes available on the Huawei Health app right now. However, starting February 2020 85 unique designs will be available for download. What is interesting to note is the designs were selected from over 1,400 entries that came in as part of Honor’s Global Watch Face Design contest.

Although the quirky designs are interesting, the MagicWatch 2 Limited Edition gets the exact same features as the standard variant. The flashy watch offers up to two weeks of battery backup, which is quite similar to what is seen on the Huawei Watch GT 2, which is designed using the same platform. Details regarding pricing and availability are currently unavailable, but you could buy the standard variant for £160 (~$209) for the 46mm variant and £150 (~$196) for the 42mm option.

Xiaomi Youpin launches a 5-port Charger with 94W power rating

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 22, 2020

Xiaomi Youpin has officially unveiled a C-bit, high-energy charger with a power rating of 94W and five output ports. The charger is designed to serve as a portable companion to charge multiple devices at the same time. The charger is compatible with several gadgets like electronics products such as notebooks, smartphones etc. It is manufactured to conform with British, European and US regulations. It adopts an affordable price of 249 yuan ($36).

The C-bit high-energy charger comes with three USB-C high-power output ports and two USB-A ports. It has a power rating of 96W and a peak value of 105W. The main USB-C port can continuously output 60W which can effectively charge most devices. The second USB-C port supports 18W charging.

Its dual USB-A ports support multi-protocol fast charging which can charge most electronic devices such as mobile phones or tablets that support fast charging at high speed, and supports micro-current charging.

The C-bit high-energy charger comes with European, British, and American plugs and a 1-meter-long Chinese-standard power cord, making it possible to be used worldwide. At the same time, the AC 100-240V wide voltage input breaks through the voltage limit and meets the power rating standard in different countries.

The high-energy charger can be plugged directly into a power strip. It can also be kept at a distance and connected to a power tip using a power cord.

ZTE Axon 10s Pro 5G launch nears as it receives Wi-Fi certification

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Jan 22, 2020

The Axon 10s Pro 5G flagship phone is expected to launch soon in China. The reason behind it is that the ZTE phone bagged 3C and TENAA certifications in December. Hence, all its specifications have been revealed. Also, the company had also confirmed some of its key specs and features in the previous month. The handset will be showcased at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020 tech trade show in the coming month. The ZTE Axon 10s Pro 5G has now popped up on Wi-Fi Alliance with its A2020 SP model number. The smartphone has received yet another certification which indicates its launch is not far away.

The Wi-Fi certification reveals the presence of Wi-Fi 6 support on the ZTE Axon 10s Pro 5G which was already revealed by the Chinese firm in December. The handset will run on the latest Android 10 OS. Apart from these details, no other information on the phone has appeared on WFA Alliance.

Soon after the TENAA appearance of the Axon 10s Pro 5G, Lu Qianhao, Director of Consumer Experience Department at ZTE hinted on Weibo that it will be launching soon. The Xiaomi Mi 10 series are expected to break cover in early February. Some reports have claimed that Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro may go official on Feb. 10 or Feb. 11. If the Axon 10s Pro 5G launches before Mi 10 series, ZTE will become the first company to launch a Snapdragon 865 powered phone.

Editor’s Pick: ZTE and MTN Uganda team up to carry out first 5G trial in East Africa

ZTE Axon 10s Pro 5G specifications

The Axon 10s Pro 5G has a 6.47-inch OLED waterdrop notch screen that produces 1080 x 2340 pixels full HD+ resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The Snapdragon 865 mobile platform driven phone has a 3,900mAh minimum rated battery that supports 18W fast charging. The phone may support wireless charging. The Android 10 OS runs on the device along with MiFavor 10 custom skin.

The SoC of the phone is coupled with LPDDR5 RAM. The TENAA listing states it could be coming in RAM choices like 6 GB, 8 GB and 12 GB in China. It could be coming with 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB. There is a microSD card slot on the phone for additional storage. The handset has a 48-megapixel + 20-megapixel + 8-megapixel triple camera system. The phone has a front-facing camera of 20-megapixel.

iQOO Pro, iQOO Neo and iQOO Lite monikers trademarked in India

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Jan 22, 2020

Vivo’s sub-brand iQOO is expected to launch its first smartphone in India by March. It will be a performance driven phone that could be fueled by the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform. While the said phone is expected to debut in China as iQOO 3, there is no word on the name of its Indian version. Vivo has recently filed trademarks for three iQOO product names such as iQOO Pro, iQOO Neo and iQOO Lite with the Intellectual Property India. Probably, the country will be receiving with these names in future.

Among three aforementioned names, iQOO has already launched the iQOO Neo and iQOO Pro smartphone in China last year. It had arrived as a Snapdragon 845 powered device. The iQOO Pro was a Snapdragon 855+ mobile platform driven smartphone.

Three iQOO smartphones got trademark.
The models are :
1, iQOO Pro
2, iQOO Neo
3, iQOO lite

Probably these models coming to India soon pic.twitter.com/1bFe31d0E3

— _the_tech_guy (@_the_tech_guy) January 22, 2020

iQOO is yet to launch a phone with iQOO Lite moniker. Last year in September, Vivo had trademarked the iQOO Lite name with European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). Hopefully, future reports will reveal more information on the iQOO Lite device. The above tweet has the screenshots with names of the newly trademarked iQOO phones.

Editor’s Pick: Vivo sends out invite for MWC 2020 event; to show off APEX 2020

A Chinese tipster has claimed that iQOO is now more of a performance driven brand rather than a gaming-focused brand. He added that Monster Inside lighting and design won’t be available on the next generation iQOO device. Hence, it appears will the upcoming iQOO 3 will have some gaming capabilities, but it won’t be a full-fledged gaming phone like the devices from Black Shark and Red Magic.

Rumors have it that the forthcoming Vivo iQOO 3 will a 60Hz refresh rate screen. It is expected to house a punch-hole AMOLED display of 6.44 inches that supports 20:9 aspect ratio and full HD+ resolution. The Snapdragon 865 mobile platform with 5G support will be fueling the device with a 4,410mAh battery. It may arrive with a 55W fast charger. The handset is speculated to arrive with a 48-megapixel quad camera setup.

Huawei rolls out Open Beta for EMUI 10 on the Mate X

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Jan 22, 2020

Earlier today (22nd January 2020), Huawei officially announced that the Mate X, the company’s foldable smartphone, will start the public trial for EMUI 10 through an Open Beta.

For those that wish to participate in the beta program, go to the “Services” app and search for early adopters update to upgrade to the beta build for EMUI 10. Furthermore, you also have to have the latest version update of the Services app to opt in for the program, so make sure you have the latest version.

Note: Open Beta program is an unstable and unpolished version of the future Android 10 based EMUI 10 custom skin. So, a participating user is likely to find bugs and glitches when using the new unfinished software. Make sure to backup important data if you still wish to follow through.

Previously, Huawei had announced that the EMUI 10 update roadmap for the month of February and March of this year. The models which are scheduled to receive the new update in mid or late February include Nova 5, Nova 5i Pro, Nova 5z and Honor 20S. Furthermore, the smartphones that will receive the rollout for EMUI 10 in early March 2020 are the Nova 5i, Huawei Enjoy 10S, and Honor 20 Youth Edition.

Huawei’s Mate X is the Chinese tech giant and smartphone manufacturer’s first foldable smartphone. It was released in November of 2019 and features an 8 inch flexible OLED display and houses the Kirin 980 SoC from the company’s subsidiary, HiSilicon. It is powered by a large 4,500mAh battery and houses a quad camera setup on the rear.

(Via)

BOE OLED panel capacity more than 200% in 2020

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Jan 22, 2020

BOE, a renowned smartphone display manufacturer, is the largest LCD panel supplier in the world but has plans to cease further investments in the area. As the popularity of OLED displays grows, even more, the company is planning on increasing its production capacity for the same.

LCD panels prices have been plummeting as even more smartphone manufacturers adopt the OLED panel. In South Korea, China and Taiwan, the production of the display technology has been ceased effectively. This, in turn, will see BOE suffer from heavy losses due to lack of orders or oversupply. Currently, smartphones with OLED displays are more popular in mid to premium grade handsets, with even entry level devices expected to soon adopt the technology as well.

BOE display technology — Flexible OLED Display from BOE

Thus, BOE is launching the OLED production lines this year which will essentially boost its manufacturing capacity by more than 200 percent. Recently, the company has heavily invested in three OLED production lines in China. The first is in Chengdu which is also the first flexible AMOLED production line within China. It will produce the sixth generation of AMOLED displays and will reach a full production capacity of manufacturing 48,000 units every month.

The second is in Sichuan and will start shipping AMOLED display units by July 2020 and is currently raising production capacity. The third facility is in Chongqing, which had a massive 46.5 billion Yuan investment and will be completed later this year. The production capacity of this is also expected to reach 48,000 units per month volume.

BOE's iPhone X-like OLED panel — BOE’s Apple iPhone X-like OLED panel (Reference: Screenshot of China Daily’s YouTube)

According to BOE, the production capacity of its new OLED panels will be around 70 million units in 2020. Out of this number, about 20 million are said to be flexible OLED displays. This number will reportedly bump up the company’s global market share in the field to 18 percent. Notable clients of BOE OLED displays include Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and more. Even Apple is said to be considering the supply of OLED displays for its 2020 lineup of iPhones as the company already supplies LCD panels for its iPads and Macbooks.

(Via)

Apple approaches TSMC to bump A13 chipset production to meet high demands for iPhone 11: Report

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Jan 22, 2020

Reportedly, Apple has reached out to TSMC to increase the production of its A13 processor as the demand for the iPhone 11 was higher than previously predicted. The report arrives after the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro were well received in the Chinese with a healthy sales number.

Bloomberg, a reporting agency, published the news and stated that the iPhone 11 series is “outperforming the market and Apple’s expectations.” In other words, the Cupertino based tech giant has to raise production capacity for its smartphone to keep up with high demands. TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) is a major manufacturer of PC and mobile processors. It is also a known brand that supplies Apple’s A13 chipsets used in its iPhone 11 lineup.

Furthermore, another major reason for Apple bumping up the production of its proprietary chipset also ties in with an upcoming affordable iPhone model. It is reported that the device will feature a design similar to that of the iPhone 8 but with the newer and faster A13 processor. Unfortunately, it has yet to be officially confirmed but the iPhone 8 was one of the best selling iPhones in recent years due to its lower price tag, so it is likely to be the case.

Later this year, Apple will also be unveiling its 2020 iPhone lineup which will arrive with the new generation of processor, likely the A14 SoC (systems on a chip). The production for this next generation chipset will start sometime in the second quarter of 2020 and will be on the new 5nm process. The A13 was manufactured on a 7nm process, meaning that the newer iteration should be more powerful and energy efficient.

Analysts have claimed that the iPhone 11 series is performing better than what was originally predicted. The iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max currently account for about 69 percent of all iPhones sold in the fourth quarter of 2019.

(Via)

Face Masks sold out amidst Virus outbreak, JD.com bans sellers artificially raising prices

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Jan 22, 2020

Amidst the virus outbreak responsible for causing pneumonia, the demand for face masks has risen immensely. It has also led to the face masks being sold out and a few retailers even raising prices for such face masks, prompting JD.com to ban or unlist such abnormal price surges.

For those unaware, China has been hit with a virus outbreak that has been causing pneumonia. The thing that is particularly dangerous about this virus is that it’s a new breed named coronavirus which is currently more difficult to treat in case of infection. Thus, the market has seen an explosive demand for face masks that citizens of the nation are buying for protection.

As of right now, masks are being sold on various e-commerce websites online as well, including Taobao and JD who are also two of the largest online retailers in China. Furthermore, other stores like Minnesota Minding and Manufacturing or 3M said that several varieties of its regular face masks have been sold out as of Tuesday morning (21st January 2020).

On top of this more brands that manufacture and retail face masks have also been seeing a surge in demand and have reported their troubles in keeping a sufficient stock. This has created a scenario with an excess demand and shortage of supply, which in turn has driven up the prices of such masks. These masks can also be bought from third party retailers but are being offered at higher prices.

JD.com is one of the first to address these issues as the company bans raising prices for face masks. Additionally, anyone found offering such masks at abnormally high prices will be removed from its website altogether. The move is being done to guarantee the stability of the pricing of the crucial commodity. The online retailing giant is also working on gaining consistent resources to ensure supply, proper warehousing and distribution control.

(Via: 1,2)

Future OPPO Reno phone likely to feature selfie camera in narrow top bezel, reveals patent filing

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Jan 22, 2020

The Reno series of smartphones were introduced last year. The OPPO Reno lineup includes phones with different display designs such as notch-less screen and pop-up selfie camera, waterdrop notch display and punch-hole screen. The forthcoming OPPO phones may sport a new front. 91mobiles has come across a patent filing that showcases a new display design that features the selfie camera lodged in the narrow top bezel.

According to the publication, the Chinese manufacturer had filed a patent in March 2019, and it was published on Jan. 21. The patent design seems to belong to an upcoming Reno series phone as it features an O-Dot structure on the back. OPPO has claimed that the all the upcoming Reno smartphones will be equipped with O-Dot structure that protects the rear surface and cameras.

The main highlight of the phone’s design that can be seen in the new patent filing shows that its display is surrounded by slim bezels. The display sports a notch-less design as it features a selfie camera at the center of the slim top bezel. The design reminds of the recent flagship phones from Meizu that have very slim top bezel along with the selfie camera. However, none of the Meizu phones have featured the selfie snapper in top-center position.

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The patent images of the OPPO Reno phone further reveal that the power button is placed on the right spine of the device whereas the left side is populated with volume up and down buttons. The rear side of the phone has a green-colored O-Dot structure. Probably, the rear cameras will be placed above the O-Dot in vertical manner.

Editor’s Pick: ZTE top executive reveals he’s a fan of the Oppo Find Series, Excited for Find X2

OPPO has recently launched the OPPO Reno 3 and Reno 3 Pro 5G smartphones in China. It remains to be seen whether the above shown design comes true on the OPPO Reno 4. Chinese firms are known for skipping number 4 in the names of their devices. Hence, forthcoming Reno phones could be called Reno 5.

In related news, OPPO is expected to soon launch a different Reno 3 Pro with dual front-facing cameras in India. YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss recently gave a first look at an OPPO phone with dual punch-hole design. It is said to be equipped with 44-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual selfie camera. Its main lens could be the 43.7-megapixel ISOCELL GH1 lens. There is no word on the other specs and arrival time of the Indian version of OPPO Reno 3 Pro.

US Officials ground Drones fearing Chinese Espionage

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Jan 22, 2020

Following Huawei being caught in the crossfires of the US-China trade disputes, drones have now become another area that is facing scrutiny by the US Government. Allegedly, Drones that are manufactured or belong to Chinese brands could potentially be used to spy in the US, according to Government officials.

Drones have been increasing in popularity in the US and it is not just limited to cinematography or plain entertainment. They can be highly useful in real world scenarios as well. The best example being the volcano eruption in Hawaii back in May 2018, where a drone was used by US scientists to save a man from the lava by asking him to follow the drone to make it out of a jungle.

Examples such as these are indicative of the wide range of application and usefulness unmanned drones bring to the table. However, what about “espionage?” is the question the US Government is asking. With the increasing rivalry between the US and the east, namely China, the western nation is scrutinizing every avenue that the Chinese have a foothold in. One of these is the commercially available drones that are widely sold in the US.

DJI or Da Jiang Innovations Science and Technology Company is one of the market leaders in videography equipment and unmanned drones. Its offerings are used both for entertainment and to access areas for scientific research as well. But the company isn’t alone as even more Chinese drone manufacturers are seeking to enter the US market in the near future. These drones are also seeing an increase in adoption in various Government departments and have become a cause for worry for David Bernhardt, the Head of a Federal agency.

According to Bernhardt, these drones are currently under evaluation and review, which is an effort being made to deem their safety for being used in the nation. Furthermore, during this process, all drones made in China are grounded, as reported by the BBC network. Notably, crucial areas like drones used in fire fighting and to help rescue people are still allowed to fly.

Chinese analysts see US policies that hamper the operations of companies from China as a form of protectionism. In other words, the US is actively against foreign MNCs gaining a large market share within its nation. However, despite all of these allegations and friction, the US and Chinese leaders are well on their way to sign a trade deal to recuperate the ailing relations between the two.

(Via)

Apple iPhone 9 / SE 2 mass production to begin in February ahead of March launch, claims report

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Jan 22, 2020

Cupertino-based telecom giant Apple Inc. is gearing up to launch its latest budget-friendly smartphone this year. The device is likely the much-awaited iPhone SE 2. Some reports have claimed that it could be arriving in the market as the iPhone 9. Apple plans to begin assembly this February, ahead of its 2020 roadmap when it adds a range of 5G-enabled devices to the lineup.

According to a report on Bloomberg, a source close to Apple claims that the company is likely to officially unveil the new device in March. The three Taiwanese firms in charge of the assembly lineup are Wistron Corp., Pegatron Corp., and Hon Hai Precision Industry. The iPhone SE 2 / iPhone 9 will be the second low-cost iPhone following the first-generation iPhone SE from 2016 that based on the iPhone 6S. The smartphone is rumored to be based on the iPhone 8, which is currently priced at $499.

Editor’s Pick: Apple drops data encryption on the FBI’s request

Everything We Know So Far About the iPhone 9 / iPhone SE 2

The demand for compact smartphones has increased recently, with the iPhone XR being well-received globally. Hence, Apple could be planning to launch a low-cost iPhone 9 / iPhone SE 2 smartphone. According to leaked renders that were shared by OnLeaks in the recent past, the iPhone SE 2 sports a 4.7-inch display with a thick bezel on top and an equally thick chin. Apple might do away with the more expensive XDR OLED Retina display in favor of a Liquid Retina LCD display to keep costs down.

The iPhone SE 2 sports an aspect ratio of 16:9, along with a physical fingerprint scanner on the chin. The device likely lacks Face ID. While the power button is located on the right edge, the volume rocker and alert slider are found on the left edge. The lightning port is located between two speakers grills on the bottom.

The frosted glass rear panel is similar to the one on the iPhone 8. The device sports a single camera with an LED flash on the top left corner, with the iconic Apple logo located in the center.

Powering the iPhone SE 2 is the Apple A13 Bionic chipset found on the latest iPhone 11 series. The device is likely to feature 3GB of RAM with 64GB/128GB of native storage, run on iOS 13 and sport a price tag of $399. Rumors of a second variant with a larger 5.5-inch or 6.1-inch display sporting a price tag of $499 are also doing the rounds on the internet. This phone might be called iPhone 9 Plus. There is no official word from Apple or any of its partner firms in-charge of assembly.

Affordable iPhones have proven to be quite popular with customers. Perhaps the best example of which is the iPhone 11, whose base price starts at $50 lower than Apple’s usual pricing. Keeping this steady rise in demand in mind, Apple has asked its semiconductor supplier to make more chips this quarter. iPhone sales have been dwindling in price-sensitive markets like India. The company plans to sell over 200 million units in 2020, and the iPhone SE 2 will play a major role in achieving the target.

Apple drops data encryption on the FBI’s request

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Jan 22, 2020

According to a recent post on Reuters, Apple dropped plans to allow users to fully encrypt data on its iCloud services after the FBI warned such a move would hamper investigations. Quoting six sources familiar with the issue, the Reuters report highlights the extent to which Apple is willing to aid the US law enforcement agencies, despite facing the flak of the government in high-profile legal disputes in the recent past.

Apple’s compliance with the FBI’s demand surfaces two years after the talks formally commenced. Data encryption would have made it impossible for Apple to access user information stored on its iCloud servers even if law enforcement agencies sent a legal request. This is when the FBI sent in a stern warning saying such a step would negatively affect the organization’s ability to gather proof in cases where the perpetrator used an iPhone.

Around two years back, in an effort to block hackers, Apple informed the FBI about its plans to offer users end-to-end encryption when storing iPhone data on iCloud. As part of the plan, the company would no longer have the ability to access user data even under court order. Representatives of the FBI’s cybercrime wing soon objected to the plan arguing that it would open up a whole new level of difficulties gathering proof against suspects using an iPhone.

Editor’s Pick: Apple might just make a touchscreen MacBook

Apple dropped the effort soon after, along with the 10 key people involved in developing advanced encryption technology, codenamed Plesio and KeyDrop, a year later. A former Apple employee anonymously claimed, “The effort was dropped due to mounting legal pressures for reasons you can imagine”. However, it is unclear what role the FBI played in the matter.

The news will not go down well with Apple users, as the reversal clearly contradicts the company’s policy of preserving user data. However, it is easy to understand why Apple would not like to poke the bear, read US government, any longer following the long legal battle against law enforcement agencies back in 2016.

There is a silver lining to this, as pointed out by cybersecurity and privacy attorney Leeza Garber. “This decision does not hurt user information directly, as customers can still monitor what data gets uploaded to iCloud”. Physical data stored on the iPhone cannot be accessed remotely. Hence, users need to be more careful about what information they want to be stored on the cloud.

“While major corporations like Apple and Google are doing their best to preserve user data. This is a great opportunity for users to consider what we choose to store online. In the end, we need to take greater responsibility for our actions and decisions. Understanding privacy settings, backup choices, and digital security measures is a priority. We need to consider alternative backup options. While iCloud is easy to access, it has its fair share of flaws. Users could effectively use a 3TB hard drive stored in a safe for privacy” Garber adds.

Huawei founder predicts U.S will take more actions against them, claims Huawei is a “pro-U.S.” company

By

Airyl Jaszly

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Jan 22, 2020

Founder of Huawei, Ren Zhengfei, claimed at Davos that he suspects the U.S. will take more actions against the company while Huawei continues to survive. “We got the experience now,” he said during a session at the Winter Davos. “We have poured hundreds of billions of money into our Plan B, and that’s why we can withstand the first wave of U.S. attack.”

The comments by Huawei chief executive and founder Ren Zhengfei to business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos come amid a bitter court fight in Canada over a US demand to extradite Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who is his eldest daughter. Huawei has also been banned from working with American firms on the grounds that it poses a national security threat – an accusation the company has consistently denied.

In response to the U.S. attacks, Huawei disclosed some “Plan B” products that can be used to replace U.S. parts, including Huawei Mobile Services (HMS), a replacement of its Google counterpart. Huawei also started porting its IoT operating system “Harmony” to smartphones.

Ren also stressed that Huawei is a “pro-U.S.” company that hired tens of U.S. consulting firms to teach Huawei how to manage a big company. “The U.S. should be proud that their experience on management brought development to other places,” he said.

Ren also discussed aspects of the concurrent AI race, telling us that the fear of AI will fade away, comparing it to the fear of nuclear energy. “I was born around the time of Hiroshima, and I saw people around me being afraid of nuclear bombs,” he said. “But eventually nuclear power plants and the use of radiation in hospitals have benefited so many people. The same can be true for AI,” Ren stressed.

He also weighs in about the current fear of a split between the tech world due to the ongoing problems between the US and China. “In my opinion, the Chinese government has not even started to think about the consequences of AI development,” he told Davos.

According to Ren, the U.S. is overthinking about China’s sci-tech power. “China’s education is still trying to train engineers instead of scientists, which means China does not have enough basic science research power to compete with the U.S.,” he explained. “There is only one truth. That’s why the tech world will not split,” he said. “Whoever gets the truth will share it with everyone else.”

(Source)

iQOO phone with SD865 likely to arrive in India soon, Monster Inside lighting and design cancelled

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Jan 22, 2020

Last year, Vivo had introduced iQOO sub-brand in China by launching the Vivo iQOO phone in April. It was previously believed that the iQOO brand will include gaming-centric phones that will take on the likes of Xiaomi Black Shark, ASUS ROG and Nubia Red Magic. However, iQOO phones that were unveiled last year all featured flagship chipsets and they were made available at affordable pricing. Hence, the iQOO brand is all about selling performance focused phones with some gaming capabilities. A recent report had claimed that iQOO brand will be introduced in India in March. Today, another report courtesy of India Tech Today has revealed that the first iQOO phone for India will be powered by Snapdragon 865 mobile platform.

The new report claims that India will be receiving the new iQOO phone soon. However, the name of the device is not known yet and the only thing known about it is that it has Snapdragon 865 onboard.

The first iQOO phone that was unveiled last year had a top variant called Monster Inside Edition. It had a sportier appeal with halo lights. However, a Chinese tipster has claimed that iQOO is no longer a gaming-focused brand. The company has cancelled the Monster Inside lighting and design an engineering machine of the next generation iQOO. He could be talking about the pre-production unit of the upcoming iQOO 3.

Rumors have revealed that the upcoming iQOO 3 for China will be the company’s first phone with Snapdragon 865 mobile platform. The SoC tags along X55 modem which enables support for NSA and SA 5G networks in the home market. The same iQOO phone could be also coming to India. It remains to be seen whether the device arrives with the iQOO 3 moniker or some other name. India is not 5G ready yet. Hence, the phone may arrive in its 4G version in the country. It is advisable to wait for further reports to known about the first iQOO phone for India.

Editor’s Pick: Vivo sends out invite for MWC 2020 event; to show off APEX 2020

Vivo iQOO 3 specifications (Rumored)

Based on the recent reports, it can be said that the Vivo iQOO 3 will be arriving with a punch-hole S-AMOLED display that offers full HD+ resolution, an aspect ratio of 20:9 and a refresh rate of 60Hz. It could be featuring the same display that’s available on the Vivo X30 series, Vivo S5 and Vivo V17 India version.

The Snapdragon 855 powered iQOO 3 will be equipped with a 4,410mAh battery. It seems that the Vivo V1950A that recently passed the 3C certification with 55W charger could be the iQOO 3 smartphone. The device is expected to come with a 48-megapixel quad camera setup on its back.

(source 1, 2)

Google designs an Envelope to encourage using your smartphones less often

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