Chinese smartphone brand Vivo has patented a new smartphone design which is quite unique in terms of design, especially when it comes to the camera module. The design shows a penta-camera setup on the back with two camera modules.
The first camera module on the back is a circular one which houses three camera sensors. There’s a second camera module just below the first one in a pill-shaped housing that holds two more camera sensors. It we see closely, it seems that the phone will come with a periscope lens setup.
On the front side, we can see that there’s a single punch-hole cut-out for housing a camera sensor. While the design has been leaked, nothing is known about the phone’s specifications at this point in time.
Since the phone’s back design seems a bit similar to the Vivo NEX 3 and the periscope lens setup on the back is similar to the Vivo X30 Pro smartphone launched recently, it is being speculated that the phone in question is a flagship offering from Vivo.
While it is not yet known what smartphone will have this design, it is being speculated that the smartphone could be the much-awaited Vivo NEX 4. There’s a possibility that it is an entirely different or new phone. To know for sure, we’ll have to wait for some more information about this smartphone to emerge.
Google announces its next version of Android at the Google I/O Event that takes place around May and releases the final version around September of the same year. Android 10 is the latest version of Android OS and was released back in September bringing many new features like system-wide dark theme, improved privacy controls, new gesture navigation, native desktop mode, etc., offering a simple and smarter UX. Recently, Ulefone revealed that they will launch the world’s first Android 10 rugged phone soon by the name Armor X7.
According to the revealed information, Armor X7 will be powered by a 12nm quad-core processor backed by 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. As you can imagine, it should be an affordable rugged phone, perfect for casual use. In addition, there will be a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie shooter, enough to capture photos and videos of adequate quality.
Also, judging from the low-consumption hardware, the large 4000mAh battery will be enough for more than a day of full use. Of course, it supports all the usual features that almost all Ulefone phones come with like face and fingerprint unlock, NFC with Google Pay, dual-SIM/dual-standby, global network bands, etc.. Lastly, being a rugged phone means IP68/IP69K certifications and durable chassis.
Long story short, the Armor X7 will be a value for money model. If you are interested in it, you can visit their official website for more details.
As the Christmas holiday is over and schools, as well as universities, open their doors for the Spring semester, XIDU is offering some of the best deals since Black Friday. Back to School activity is usually held at the end of the summer but the Chinese manufacturer is holding a mid-season BtS activity for two of its best laptops so that being a student can become a little easier. So, until January 31st, XIDU PhilBook Pro and PhilPad are offered at the lowest price for 2020 while customers can also take advantage of many $30 for other products too.
XIDU PhilBook Pro
One of the best features of the PhilBook Pro is its 2560×1440 IPS display. Such a resolution on an 11.6″ panel means higher ppi and incredible clarity. And if you think that a high resolution like this is ideal just for photos and videos, you should reconsider as higher resolution means crisper details for office work as well as gaming. Besides, the panel is supplied by Sharp and that takes care of high quality.
The design of the PhilBook Pro adopts the 360° flexible hinge featured by a double torque technology and offers an ideal mix of flexibility and quality so users can easily open the lid with only one hand yet have enough torque for a wobble-free touch experience. The hinge transforms the laptop into a tablet in no time or you can use it in tent mode, according to your liking. In addition, it is an ultra-light device thanks to the aluminum-alloy body and small size.
As for the hardware performance, the device comes with an Intel J3355 4-core 2.0GHz CPU backed by 6GB of RAM and 128GB SSD. That means stable and fluid performance in everyday tasks as well as low power consumption and many hours of use on a single charge.
XIDU PhilPad
In addition to the laptop lineup, XIDU is also offering 2in1 tablets. XIDU PhilPad is one of those models and it’s a business-class Tablet PC designed for those who need a powerful and, most importantly, mobile tool for daily work outside the office or at home.
The PhilPad features a metal body and it can be transformed into a laptop using the detachable keyboard. The device sports a generous 13.3″ multitouch IPS 2K (2560×1440) display and is powered by an Intel E3950 quad-core CPU backed by 6GB of DDR3 RAM and 128GB SSD. The storage space can be further expanded with up to 256GB more via the TF card slot.
In the box, you’ll also get a stylus and the mentioned keyboard, as well as a licensed Windows 10 operating system, a powerful power supply for fast charging and a nice bonus: branded protective film pre-applied on the display.
So, if you’re looking for a best-value laptop or 2in1 tablet, make sure to visit the XIDU Official Store to catch the Back-to-School promotion for up to 30% off discount.
What’s more, there are big discounts on the rest of the platforms that XIDU is present. Visit Amazon US, UK, FR, ES, IT stores as well as Aliexpress to learn more. For coupons on all of the company’s products, look here.
Realme smartphones have primarily used Android based ColorOS custom user interface skins so far. However, the company has wanted to take a step away from this and offer a more stock experience for a while now, with beta testing in China that had taken place earlier. Now, the company has finally unveiled the Realme UI which is listed with a simplified design alongside various improvements and new features.
The company which was previously an Oppo subsidiary is advertising the new UI as “Seamless Fun.” It arrives with a stock Android experience alongside system colors, icons, wallpapers, and new animations as well. Since Realme’s target audience has primarily been the youth, it’s marketing with “vitality” and “younger” keywords can also be seen for its fresh new look.
With Realme UI, users are able to design the icons and can choose their transparency as well. The sizes of the icons are also customizable and are personalized, even for the actual image in the icon. Alongside the fresh look, the UI brings 11 new background wallpapers for the home screen of Realme smartphones. Notably, the wallpapers are based on “natural elements” and will users can always find a match with a particular color scheme.
The Android 10 based Realme UI also brings performance improvements as well. It arrives with new power saving features and a lot more. A new Focus Mode helps disconnect from the outside world and even plays relaxing music to help improve concentration.
For security, a Personal Information Protection feature has been added that allows the system to fill empty information pages regarding call history, contacts, messages, or schedules that certain websites or apps might enquire about. Thus, it makes one’s private data safe while not limiting the usage of the app itself.
Lastly, Realme also provided a roadmap (See Image Above) for the new update or the stable rollout of its new UI. Hopefully, Realme smartphones that are released in the future carry the update right out of the box.
The Apple Pencil may be getting some really cool upgrades in the future. According to the United States Trademark and Patent Office (USPTO), Apple has received a patent for a stylus with a built-in camera and more.
The patent description said the stylus will have a touch-sensitive area with support for gestures such as taps, rotations, and swipes or a combination of gestures. This version of the Apple Pencil will also be able to distinguish between a user simply holding it or performing an actual gesture. The current Apple Pencil allows you to switch between tools such as a pen and an eraser by double-tapping the side of the stylus.
The patent also states that the stylus may also be able to detect biological characteristics of the user such as heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, and skin temperature, etc.
One other patent listed mentions a version of the Apple with a built-in camera. The camera will be able to capture the physical characteristics of a surface and visually reproduce it on the screen of the iPad.
Another patent has a haptic feedback feature that replicates the feeling of drawing on paper while another mentions the stylus having a fingerprint scanner so that it can be used to unlock the iPad and also to carry out payments.
It is not yet known which of these features will eventually make it to a commercial product. However, we have a feeling the new gestures may come with the Apple Pencil that will launch with the upcoming iPad Pro. Renders of the upcoming tablet leaked a few weeks ago and they revealed the next-gen iPad will have triple rear cameras.
The smartphone industry saw some very notable innovations in the year 2019. 5G advancements saw the inclusion of the newer and faster bandwidth while foldable handsets became a reality. Now, Xiaomi is reportedly making a smartphone with a display that almost completely covers the smartphone body, according to patents.
Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha is a concept smartphone with a similar design to the patents that were recently uncovered. However, a few points can be discerned while looking at the patents. Unlike the Mi Mix Alpha, the patented device has yet to be produced and is still unconfirmed or at conceptual stages at best.
Xiaomi secretly patented a smartphone with a surround screen
The Mi Mix Alpha was the first smartphone to have a surround display that covered most of the handset’s body. Hence, the newer device could follow the same philosophy but could be made for mass-producing; since the Mi Mix Alpha will only be offered in limited numbers since it is a concept smartphone.
Looking at the design patents, the handset is visually distinct from the Mi Mix Alpha but also has the display cover the front panel and most of the rear panel. The patented device also carries a form factor that resembles that of a book. To further differentiate the device from the already existing Mi Mix Alpha, different materials could be used to manufacture it.
Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha with a surround screen
Earlier builds of the Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha had plastic materials for its display. Since then, the Chinese tech giant has confirmed that future iterations will arrive with flexible glass display technology. But as it stands right now, the design of the unique screen of the smartphone still needs work and improvements to be made on viability, strength and more.
A new report has surfaced which suggests that MediaTek, the chip making company, will soon launch a low-end G-series SoC that is aimed at gaming for affordable smartphones. The news arrived after Yenchi Lee (Senior Director in MediaTek) stated in an interview that the upcoming processors will be placed below the G90 series chipsets for both power and performance.
MediaTek’s Helio G90 series was one of the first smartphone chipset produced with mobile gaming as a focus. Following this line, the new entries will target the same audience but will be featured in more affordable smartphones. Although unconfirmed, the new chip series could be the Helio G70 series that is expected to power the Redmi 9 smartphones.
MediaTek Helio G90 Gaming Series SoC
As of right now, the senior executive from MediaTek has only given out a vague estimate. So, an official release date is still unknown. Furthermore, finer details like specifications of the upcoming low-end gaming SoC is also unknown. However, a leak has suggested that the chipset would be an octa core processor with two Cortex A-75 and six Cortex-A55 cores coupled with Mali-G52 MC2 GPU.
Notably, current flagship processors arrive with a tri-cluster or triple power domain CPUs. In other words, they feature a big, medium and little core, unlike MediaTek’s dual cluster. Even the Dimensity 1000 and Dimensity 800 chipsets did not feature this architecture while Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoC’s have been for a while now. According to Yenchi Lee, the company is looking into this technology for the future and these chipsets would start shipping soon.
MediaTek Dimensity 1000 SoC
Lastly, the Senior Director also mentioned that MediaTek is looking into offering GPU updates via Google Play Store as well, something Qualcomm announced last month. However, an ETA on this is unavailable as well, at least for now.
In June last year, a MIUI community member had developed a mod that could allow the standard 60Hz display of the Xiaomi Mi 9 to deliver a faster refresh rate of 84Hz. Last month, Redmi had launched the Redmi K30 4G and Redmi K30 5G smartphone. Both phones are currently selling as the cheapest phones with 120Hz refresh rate displays in China. Today, Redmi General Manager Lu Weibing confirmed that the company successfully tested 144Hz refresh rate support on the Redmi K30 5G.
Weibing has released a video on Weibo to demonstrate the support for 144Hz refresh rate on the Redmi K30 5G. As it can be seen, the 120Hz display of the Redmi K30 5G can seamlessly support 144Hz possibly through a software update. Hence, there is a possibility that the company bring support for 144Hz refresh rate through an update in the near future.
Weibing has shared the above video at a time when major companies are getting ready to launch flagship phones like Galaxy S20 series and OnePlus 8 lineup with 120Hz refresh rate screens. Weibing’s Weibo post appeared few hours after Nubia President Ni Fei confirmed that the forthcoming Red Magic 5G phone has a 144Hz refresh rate display. It appears that many smartphone OEMs will launch handsets with higher refresh rates in this year.
In related news, Redmi will be starting with the sales of the 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage models of the Redmi K30 5G from tomorrow in the home market. These variants are currently priced at 1,999 Yuan (~$290) and 2,299 Yuan (~$333_. These models will be available in two color choices such as Deep Sea Blue and Deep Ocean Glitter.
The Redmi K30 5G houses a 6.67-inch IPS LCD display with punch-hole design. It offers 20:9 aspect ratio and full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. The Snapdragon 765G chipset with support dual-mode 5G powers the device. It comes with up to 8 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of native storage. It is equipped with a microSD card slot for additional storage.
The Redmi K30 5G has a 20-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual camera system on the front. On its rear, it is fitted with a 64-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel + 2-megapixel quad camera module. The Android 10 OS skinned with MIUI 11 comes preloaded on the device. The phone houses a 4,500mAh battery that supports 30W fast charging.
According to a new report, Huawei subsidiary, HiSilicon, has placed an order from SMIC’s (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation) new 14nm process, and has received orders from TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) as well.
The former started the research and development regarding 14nm processes back in 2015 and has begun mass producing 14nm FinFETs successfully since the third quarter of 2019. Thus, it also makes the SMIC factory the most advanced integrated production base in Mainland China.
On the other hand, TSMC is an established industry supplier with a bulk of its operations concentrated in the Nanjing plant that was put into operation at the end of 2018. It has an investment in 3 billion US Dollars that enables it to produce 20,000 12 inch wafer fabs on a monthly basis. In simpler terms, the plant is able to consistently manufacture a large number of smartphone based circuitry.
Previously, HiSilicon’s primary orders for 16nm and 14nm were mainly taken up by TSMC. Now, Huawei subsidiary brand is placing orders to the newer SMIC for the same technology. For those unaware, HiSilicon develops the Chinese smartphone manufacturer’s proprietary Kirin smartphone chipsets.
A known project taken up by SMIC in regards to smartphones was for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 400 series SoC (system on chip). Unfortunately, it is currently unclear as to which device the 14nm SMIC will be made for, but Huawei smartphones (or even tablets) might be the obvious choice here.
Notably, TSMC is facing certain issues since the US Government has plans to lower the standard of “Derived from US technology” from 25 percent to 10 percent. This move will create a barrier to TSMC’s supply to companies not based in the US, affecting market trends and orders for 16nm processes.
The fifth generation of mobile communication technology, referred to as 5G, is the latest generation of its kind, and 2019 marks the first year of commercial 5G use in China. This doesn’t mean technology has been slow to grow however, as companies are all scrambling to get their 5G smartphones out of the gate. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the 5G devices that released in 2019.
It’s been a wild year for 5G development, though it hasn’t been progressing as fast as it could be. Thankfully, things are looking really good for the future. “2020 is the year 5G goes mainstream,” according to Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon, and he expects more than 200 million 5G smartphones will ship in 2020. Whether we hit that remains to be seen.
Major smartphone OEMs are preparing to launch their next flagship phones with 120Hz refresh rate displays. The Redmi K30 5G that went official last month is currently the cheapest phone with 120Hz screen. Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S20 series and the OnePlus 8 are going to arrive with 120Hz displays. Nubia co-founder and President Ni Fei has confirmed through a Weibo post that the company’s next gaming smartphone will support 144Hz refresh rate.
Ni Fei has shared a screenshot of its upcoming Red Magic 5G smartphone on Weibo. It seems to show that the phone will provide refresh rate options such as 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz and 144Hz. Hence, Nubia fans who are eagerly waiting for the next Red Magic phone can expected to deliver topnotch gaming and viewing experience through its 144Hz refresh rate display.
In comparison, the predecessor Red Magic 3S gaming phone was made available with 90Hz refresh rate screen. The predecessor phone had featured an AMOLED display. It is likely its successor could be also coming with an AMOLED panel.
Not many details of the next Red Magic 5G phone have been revealed. At the beginning of this year, Nubia confirmed that the next Red Magic phone will be its 5G ready gaming smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform. Also, Fei had confirmed last week that shared a camera sample of the Red Magic 5G phone which revealed that is possesses triple rear cameras. Based on the recent reports, it can be said that the smartphone has a model number of NX651J. The Red Magic 3 was announced in May last year. However, with teasers of the next Red Magic 5G phone emerging early this year, it may get announced in Q1 this year.
Rival brand Xiaomi is also stirring up the Black Shark 3 smartphone. A recent leak revealed that it could be coming with a 2K resolution supporting display that will carry support for 120Hz refresh rate. Also, is speculated to debut as the first smartphone with 16 GB of RAM! It may house a 4,700mAh battery that may support 3W charging. The Black Shark 2 was announced in March in China. Hence, there is a possibility that the Black Shark 3 could be announce in the same month this year.
Gaming smartphones have become a new category in itself and many manufacturers have launched their own gaming smartphones, even some of them are now launching second-generation and third-generation devices.
One such is Xiaomi-backed Black Shark which has already launch a few devices, is now gearing up to launch Black Shark 3 gaming smartphone. Now, a new leak related to the phone has surfaced online, which reveals its display specs.
The leak shows that the Black Shark 3 will come with 2K resolution display and will be offering 120Hz refresh rate. Earlier, it was said that the phone will come powered by the newly announced Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC.
Previous reports indicate that the phone could come equipped with 16GB of RAM. The smartphone has been certified for radio transmission under model number KLE-A0. It shows that the device supports dual mode 5G connectivity.
If the reports are true, then the Black Shark 3 gaming smartphone will be the first to come with 16GB of RAM. So far, the highest memory configuration that any smartphone offers stands at 12GB.
The upcoming phone will be the successor to Black Shark 2 Pro which was announced back in July last year. It features a 6.39-inch FHD+ screen, a Snapdragon 855+ processor, and packs a 4000mAh battery with support for 27W fast charge. We don’t expect anything lesser from the Black Shark 3 and a recent leak says it will have a bigger 4700mh battery.
While not much is known about the smartphone yet, we expect to come across more details about the Black Shark 3 in the coming weeks and we also expect to know everything about the phone before it goes official.
Earlier today (13th January 2020), OnePlus held a media conference meeting in Shenzhen, China. Here, the company unveiled its developments in the screen technology area and revealed the completion of a 120Hz display.
OnePlus screen technology conference 2020
In the conference, OnePlus’ upcoming flagship smartphone series, the OnePlus 8, had one of its highlighting aspects revealed. It will feature a 2K OLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz and a screen sampling rate of 240Hz, the highest in the industry. Furthermore, it was also revealed that OnePlus’ new screen has the highest color reproduction standard of JNCD <0.8, which beats the iPhone 11 Pro Max‘s JNCD <0.9 and the industry average of JNCD <2.
Notably, the company has even claimed that it was made a few unique optimizations to the 120Hz display; all of which to enable three major user-friendly factors, namely smoothness, accuracy and comfort. The exact details are as follows:
Details regarding the new display technology and its class leading specs
Smooth Chain Optimization
MEMC Independent Chip
Up To 120Hz refresh rate
240Hz screen sampling rate
JNCD <0.8
Color calibration of smartphones being manufactured
It is a big deal considering the display was one of the areas where the company had received criticism on initially. Starting from the OnePlus 7 series, the company has started giving importance to the display of its smartphones, which now arrive with a higher refresh rate and better resolution. This has even led to the feature almost becoming a standard in the premium grade segment of mobile phones.
OnePlus 8 series will arrive with a 2K OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate
OnePlus is also very active in the gaming community and even optimizes its handset offerings to better perform in games; thus, it comes as no surprise that the higher refresh rate will even work to further improve on the mobile gaming experience the company has to offer.
Honor had launched the Honor 9X smartphone that has a model number of HLK-AL00/TL00 in China in July last year. A new listing for HLK-AL00a Honor phone has appeared on TENAA with its entire specifications. With a model number similar to the Honor 9X, the newly spotted HLK-AL00a seems to be a new variant with a different processor.
Honor HLK-AL00a Specifications
The Honor HLK-AL00a smartphone has 163.1 x 77.2 x 8.8mm dimensions and it weighs 206 grams. Its color variants are listed as black, blue, red, gradient purple, gradient blue, etc. The device houses a notch-less screen that of 6.59 inches. The phone offers full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. A minimum rated battery of 3,900mAh capacity is present under the hood of the HLK-AL00a. Its typical capacity could be 4,000mAh battery. There is no support for fast charging on the device.
An octa-core processor that clocks at 2.0GHz is at the helm of the Honor HLK-AL00a smartphone. The phone is expected to release in China in 4 GB and 6 GB RAM options. Its storage sizes listed on TENAA are 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB.
There is a microSD card slot on the Honor HLK-AL00a for more storage. The phone is loaded with the Android 9 Pie OS. A fingerprint integrated with the power button is fitted on the right edge of the device. Above it is the volume rocker.
The back panel of the Honor HLK-AL00a has a vertical dual camera setup. It includes a 48-megapixel main lens and a 2-megapixel secondary shooter. For capturing selfie shots, the phone possesses a pop-up selfie snapper of 16-megapixel.
As it can be seen, the specs and design of the Honor HLK-AL00a are exact match with Honor 9X. The only major difference is that the Honor 9X is driven by the Kirin 810 2.27GHz octa-core processor whereas the HLK-AL00a has a 2.0GHz octa-core CPU onboard.
The HLK-AL00a to be a new variant of the Honor 9X. The TENAA certified phone is expected to break cover as the first Honor phone of 2020. The Chinese firm is yet to confirm on the arrival of a new phone. Hopefully, the HLK-AL00a will be made official within this month.
The Motorola Razr, despite discussions and criticisms, is still one of the hottest smartphones coming soon, and with the device’s Chinese launch coming soon, the company has been drumming up hype for it on Weibo with pictures of the production unit and the device’s box.
The box is rather unique next to the plethora of other boxes in the smartphone market. It’s triangular in shape, and stands tall instead of flat on the ground. There’s still all the information you expect on the back, showing us the device’s name, specifications and details. It’s very good looking box, and it complements the device very well.
After launching the Motorola Razr smartphone in November in the United States, Yang Yuanging, Chairman and CEO of Lenovo Group confirmed that the phone’s sale in the U.S. has been postponed due to demand and supply issues.
The Motorola Razr has a 6.2-inch Flex View P-OLED display with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a notch for a 5MP selfie camera. When folded, there is a smaller 2.69-inch 800 x 600display on the back that displays notifications and caller IDs.
Inside the Razr is a Snapdragon 710 processor with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Due to its design, the Razr packs a measly 2510mAh battery capacity but has support for 15W TurboPower fast charge. There is a 16MP camera on the back of the phone as well as a fingerprint scanner under the Motorola logo.
The Motorola Razr also has NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, and an eSIM. It runs Android 9 Pie though but we hope an Android 10 update is released shortly after it goes on sale because asking for $1499 for a device that doesn’t run the latest version of Android is a bit outrageous.
Sharp‘s Dynabook series of laptops have just received a new entry in its lineup. It is a 13 inch laptop which is one of the lightest PC currently available. The notebook is dubbed the Portégé X30L-G and arrives with notable specs in a very light package. It was revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show of 2020 (CES 2020)
Sharp’s (Dynabook series) Portégé X30L-G is one of the lightest laptop ever made
Portégé X30L-G
Sharp Dynabook lineup (formerly Toshiba’s) have made an entry in the notebook market with a light and portable laptop that doesn’t compromise on performance. One of the notable aspects of the device is its processor and weight, which is the 10th Generation Intel Core Processor in a 1.9 pounds (860 grams) form factor. Notably, Sharp’s latest Dynabook laptop achieved its featherweight feature since it was manufactured using a light magnesium alloy (avoiding the heavier aluminum).
Despite its incredibly lightweight, the laptop still features a U-series processor (low power consuming chips from Intel), an IGZO display with a maximum brightness of 470 nits, WiFi 6 and a generous offering of ports; including one USB Type C, two USB Type A, an Ethernet port and an HDMI. Additionally, Sharp Dynabook Portégé X30L-G also arrives with a military grade dust and drop resistance and a battery life ranging around 14.5 hours on a full charge.
The Portégé X30L-G is made from magnesium alloy that helps achieve its feather weight
Price and Availability
Due to its unique and extreme light weight design, people interested in buying Sharp Dynabook Portégé X30L-G have to shell out 1,600 US Dollars (roughly 11,000 Yuan). The laptop will be available for purchase sometime in February 2020.
For more coverage on CES 2020 launches and event, click here.
Samsung will be debuting the Galaxy S20 series of smartphones in the coming month. Ahead of the launch, the rumor mill is actively working on revealing vital information on the S20 smartphones. The live shots of the Galaxy S20+ 5G had appeared over the weekend. The images corroborated with the renders of the phone that had appeared in the last month. The Galaxy S20+ 5G smartphone that is believed to have a model number of SM-G986U has been benchmarked on Geekbench. As usual, the benchmarking platform has revealed some of the details of the device
The Geekbench 5 listing of the Galaxy S20 reveals that it is preloaded with Android 10. The handset is expected to feature the latest One UI 2.0 custom interface. The phone is powered by a processor that is mentioned as ‘kona’ which is the codename of the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform that was made official last month. The base frequency of the processor is 1.80GHz.
The SoC is assisted by 12 GB of RAM. The device could be equipped with the latest LPDDR5 RAM. On Geekbench 5’s single-core test, the phone has scored 923 and in the multi-core test, it has reached a score of 3267.
Rumors surrounding the Galaxy S20+ 5G is expected to house a 6.7-inch resolution S-AMOLED display with Infinity-O design. The display is expected to deliver 120Hz refresh rate. Some markets are expected to receive the Exynos 990 chipset version of the Galaxy S20+ 5G smartphone. It may come equipped with an internal storage of 256 GB. The phone could be housing a 4,300mAh battery. It could be coming with a 25W fast charger. The rear-facing quad camera setup of the phone could be housing a 108-megapixel main lens.
The Galaxy S20 series is rumored to include five devices such as Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 5G, Galaxy S20+, Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G. The South Korean tech giant confirmed in the last week that it will be holding the Galaxy Unpacked Event 2020 on Feb. 11 in San Francisco at 11 AM (PST). At the same event, the company is expected to unleash its clamshell foldable phone called Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. Rumors have it that it could be a Snapdragon 855 mobile platform powered device.
A few months ago, in September 2019, HMD Global launched the Nokia 7.2 mid-range smartphone which has now been reviewed by DxOMark. While the result seems similar to the Nokia 9 PureView, the report says that the performance differs widely.
Nokia 7.2 smartphone has secured an overall DxOMark Camera score of 85, showing a notable improvement over the older Nokia 8. The result of this smartphone is broadly comparable to the Nokia 9 PureView launched earlier in 2019.
The smartphone has hit a photo score of 90 points, witnessing very modest improvement for still images over the Nokia 9 PureView at 88. The company adds that while the scores are very similar across the board, there are some notable differences in the performance of the two rival Nokia devices.
It also says that the addition of an ultra-wide lens helps boost the final score for the Nokia 7.2 but the phone isn’t quite as good as Nokia 9 PureView when it comes to color, autofocus, or night shots. In the video category, the phone has scored 75 points.
The device comes with a triple-camera setup on the back. The primary camera uses a 1/2-inch 48Mp Quad-Bayer sensor with 0.8µm pixels coupled to a standard wide-angle f/1.8-aperture lens with PDAF autofocus. It also has an ultra-wide second shooter built around an 8MP sensor with a 13mm-equivalent f/2.2-aperture lens and a 5MP dedicated depth sensor for Portrait mode.
It comes with bokeh effects such as ZEISS Modern, ZEISS Swirl, and ZEISS Smooth for adjusting several features when you take a portrait photo. There is also a Night Mode which uses a combination of advanced image fusion and multiple exposures for brighter images with rich details.
The Nokia 7.2 features a 6.3-inch FHD+ PureDisplay with the same PixelWorks processor for real-time HDR conversion. It also has a notch at the top which houses a 20MP camera with Carl Zeiss lens. It is powered by Snapdragon 660 processor with 4/6 GB RAM and 64/128 GB of expandable storage.
The phone runs Android 9 Pie operating system out-of-the-box and is promised by the company to get 2 years of OS updates and 3 years of security updates. The device has a 3500mAh battery and with AI features like Adaptive Battery and HMD Global has promised a 2-day battery life.
OnePlus has scheduled an event in China today named “OnePlus 2020 Screen Technology Communication Meeting” where the company is expected to unveil and showcase its next-generation screen technology.
Now, just hours before the event, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo that the company has completed development of 120Hz screens. He also added that more details about the same will be shared at the Screen Technology event planned for later today.
The said event will be held today, i.e. on 13th January at 14:00 local time in Shenzhen B.PARK bloom garden. The development of 120Hz refresh rate display is yet another major step forward for the company as it now focusing on offering premium specs and features.
There are lots of major developments happening when it comes to smartphone displays — from in-display fingerprint sensors to in-display camera modules to higher refresh rate. With OnePlus 7T series coming with 90Hz refresh rate display and the company having completed development of 120Hz screen, it’s safe to assume that the next-gen flagship device from the company will have this new screen technology.
Earlier, Pete Lau had confirmed that all the future smartphones from the company will now come with 90Hz refresh rate display or a more advanced technology. This new development from the company seems to in line with that promise.
The news about this new screen technology comes just days after OnePlus showcased its OnePlus Concept One smartphone at CES 2020 in Las Vegas. It features a vertical triple camera system that is neatly tucked under an electrochromic glass. When a current is applied, the glass can swiftly change from opaque to transparent.
In this smartphone, when the camera is turned on, the three sensors become instantly visible. When the camera app is closed, the triple cameras again become invisible. The company claims that it takes only 0.7 seconds for the glass to transition from transparent to opaque or vice versa.
OnePlus will be revealing more details about the 120Hz refresh rate display at the “2020 Screen Technology Communication Meeting” in a few hours and we’ll be bringing all the details from the event here for you. Stay tuned!
It has been more than three months since Android 10 was officially released. Since then, manufacturers have been working on rolling out the update to users. However, there are several devices still stuck on an older version of Android. Some may not even get the update at all even with the new mechanisms put in place for upgrades to be available much faster such as Project Treble.
It has also been more than seven months since Google updated the Android Distribution Board, thus we do not know the percentage of devices running the latest version of Android.
So for this week’s poll, we want to know what version of Android your phone is on. Are you running Android 10 already or you are still stuffing yourself full with Android 9 Pie or Android 8 Oreo? Do take the poll and let us know. We also want to know if you will be switching brands in the future due to the manufacturer’s attitude to updates, so please drop a comment too.
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