Nubia Z20 gets permanent price cut worldwide

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Jan 15, 2020

The Nubia Z20 launched last October in markets outside China. The following month, Nubia announced a Twilight Blue color along with a limited time $50 discount. Now, the Chinese manufacturer has announced a $50 permanent price cut across all countries.

With the new price cut, the Nubia Z20 will sell for €499 in Europe, £449 in the UK, and $499 in the US. Interested buyers can pick up the phone at the new price on the official global online store.

The Nubia Z20 is a dual-screen phone with a 6.42-inch FHD+ curved AMOLED screen on one side and a 5.1-inch curved HD+ AMOLED screen on the other side. Both screens are covered with Gorilla Glass 5 and the triple cameras above the secondary display are covered with synthetic sapphire glass.

There is a Snapdragon 855+ processor inside along with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The primary camera is a 48MP Sony IMX586 f/1.7 sensor with OIS and it is paired with a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle camera, and an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto camera. The phone has 3x optical zoom, 30x digital zoom, and can record in 8K at 15 fps. It can also take macro pictures.

The Nubia Z20 not only has two screens but also has two side-mounted fingerprint scanners. There is a 4000mAh battery powering the device with support for 27W fast charge and Quick Charge 4.0. It doesn’t have an audio jack but Nubia ships the phone with a USB-C to 3.5mm cable. You also get a TPU case.

The phone has dual SIM support, Bluetooth 5.1, and dual-frequency GPS (Europe and Asia models only). It ships with a custom version of Android 9 Pie with Game Space. It also has pressure-sensitive gesture controls.

(Via)

Ulefone just announced their deals for the Chinese New Year on Gearbest

By

Dimitris Economou

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Jan 15, 2020

The Chinese New Year is around the corner and to celebrate this event, Ulefone partnered up with Gearbest to offer discounts up to 50% off from January 13th to 17th. The models participating in the promotion are mainly from the Armor Series, so let’s take a look at what’s on offer.

For starters, Ulefone Armor 7, the current flagship of the company. The Armor 7 sports a 48MP triple rear camera and Helio P90 octa-core SoC backed by 8GB of RAM. Besides the powerful SoC and triple camera, it also sports a 16MP selfie shooter, 128GB of internal storage, and a 6.3″ FHD+ display with a waterdrop notch. What’s more, there is a big, 5500mAh battery supporting Qi 10W wireless charging, Face and Fingerprint unlock, NFC with Google Pay, and Android 9.0 Pie. It costs just $359.99 during the promotion.

If you prefer the combination of rugged features with a huge battery, Ulefone is also offering Armor 3W/3WT, which come with a massive 10300mAh battery. Both sport the same specs with the 3WT coming with walkie-talkie function added. So, they are powered by the Helio P70 AI SoC backed by 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage and the camera setups include a 21MP rear camera and an 8MP selfie shooter. Also, there’s face and fingerprint unlock, dual-4G/dual-VoLTE, NFC with Google Pay, global network bands, and run on Android 9.0 Pie. During the promotion, the standard version costs just $239.99 while the walkie-talkie version costs just $279.99.

Up next comes the upgraded version of Armor 6, the Ulefone Armor 6S. Powered by the Helio P70 too, has a memory combination of 6GB/256GB and carries a 6.2″ FHD+ display with a notch to host the 8MP selfie camera. On the back lies the 16MP/8MP dual camera while under the hood it packs a 5000mAh battery with 10W Qi Wireless Charging support. Of course, it comes with face/fingerprint support and Android 9 Pie. The price is just $259.99 and if you prefer a cheaper version, you can grab the Armor 6E that comes with 4GB/64GB configuration and $189.99 price tag.

Besides the 5 models mentioned above, you can also find even more affordable models like the Armor 2 with 6GB of RAM for just $159.99, the 5.85″ Armor 5S for just $139.99, the entry-level rugged phone Armor X3 with 5000mAh battery priced at only $89.99, and its 4G version Armor X5 for just $10 more. Lastly, you can obtain the entry-level 4G smartphone Ulefone Note 7P at just $89.99. For more details about the promotion, please visit the dedicated promo page.

Ulefone showcases Armor 6S performance in benchmark video

By

Dimitris Economou

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Jan 15, 2020

Although Ulefone has released Armor 6S -the upgraded version of Armor 6- for quite some time, many users are curious about the Helio P70-powered smartphone performance. The Chinese manufacturer is known for quickly responding to users’ demands so they released a video showing how well it performs. Let’s check it out.

The video showcases the performance of different apps in different scenarios such as performance while gaming and app launch test. It scored 177,528 points in the AnTuTu benchmark test, significantly outperforming its competitors by huge numbers. It also performs very well while playing large online games while the large RAM amount allows for fluid and smooth multitasking.

Being a rugged smartphone, the Armor 6S comes with IP69K/IP68/MIL-STD-810G certifications and a UV sensor. It sports a 6.2″ FHD+ notch display and the Helio P70 SoC is backed by 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Also, there is a 16MP dual rear camera, wireless charging, fingerprint and face unlock, global network support, NFC with Google Pay, and Android 9.0 Pie.

Right now, Ulefone Armor 6S is on promotion and sells at just $258.99 on Aliexpress, a big discount compared to the standard retail price. You can get it here.

Sony sends out invite for February 24 MWC 2020 event

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jan 15, 2020

Mobile World Congress 2020 is still more than a month away but manufacturers have begun sending out invites to give attendees and the general public a heads-up and ample time to plan their schedule. We already got official announcements from Vivo for the APEX 2020 and TCL for its TCL 10 series. Now, it is Sony’s turn.

The Japanese electronics giant has sent out invites to the press for its press conference on Monday, 24th of February, 2020. The event will be held at Sony’s Booth in Hall 3, Fira Gran Via, Barcelona, and will begin at 8:30 am CET (1:00 pm IST/7:30 am GMT).

For those who will not be attending MWC, Sony says it will be live-streamed on the official Sony Xperia YouTube channel.

Sony is expected to announce at least one new flagship phone which should arrive as the Xperia 3 or Xperia 5 Plus. A mid-range Xperia phone with a Snapdragon 765G processor may also tag along. We do not know if the Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus will be getting successors this year.

It has been reported that the Xperia 5 Plus will have a Snapdragon 865 processor, a 6.6-inch display with a tall 21:9 aspect ratio, triple rear cameras, front-facing stereo speakers, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

While there are definitely fans that are looking forward to the launch of new Xperia phones, Sony’s biggest product launch for the year will be the new Play Station 5 game console.

(Via)

Orsen Airfresh snorkel mask with Walkie Talkie campaign just launched on Indiegogo with huge discount

By

Dimitris Economou

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Jan 15, 2020

About a month ago we talked about Orsen’s Airfresh snorkel mask that would soon launch on Indiegogo. The innovative mask that integrates Walkie-Talkie function among other novelties was just launched on the crowdfunding platform and it brings incredible Early Bird discounts. Let’s see some of its many features down below.

For starters, the Airfresh system solves the problem of carbon dioxide concentrating in the mask when you exhale. There is an automatic airflow renewal system the sucks the remaining C2O out of the mask so that the entire mask is filled with clean air. It’s like breathing on land! To do that, the mask must fit everyone’s face so it sports an ergonomic design that can perfectly fit everyone’s face shape, and there is no need to worry about water leakage anymore. The company uses surgical-grade hypoallergenic silicone certified by the FDA to achieve that and to offer facial comfort.

In addition, the mask comes with a waterproof walkie-talkie and you can communicate with your diving partner underwater. The glass on the front offers 180° view and there is an action camera mount as well in case you want to record your diving adventures.

What’s more, there is an anti-clog mechanism to prevent the airway from clogging, increased anti-leak protection with the mask sitting on your face tight and secure, and a 6-hour long battery. In addition, fogging is prevented thanks to the anti-fog mechanism that uses separate systems for inhalation and expiration. The exhaled air will be automatically discharged from the mask via an airflow exchange system, while the fresh air will be continuously delivered to the breathing area so that the lens can be kept clear without fogging.

The campaign is already ongoing and since it just started, you can catch the Early Bird perks that offer 23% discount. Check out all the details on the campaign page.

Huawei shipped over 240 million phones in 2019 spurred by the Mate/P series

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 15, 2020

Huawei has repeatedly posted record shipping estimates despite the trade ban imposed by the US government. The company’s consumer business CEO Richard Yu had hinted around September last year that the shipment would have surpassed 300 million units in 2019 if not for the US ban. Later in December 2019, the firm later downside its projection with the CEO disclosing that the firm’s phone shipment will reach 230 million by the end of 2019. Huawei has now officially revealed that it shipped over 240 million smartphone units in 2019. No mention was made as regards if this figure includes the Honor models.

This is the highest volume by any of the domestic OEMs in China and that will likely also translate to higher revenue. On the global turf, Samsung is yet to release its own shipping estimates for 2019 but we expect the Korean giant to maintain its leadership of the market while Huawei will likely rank as the second biggest OEM in terms of shipment volume. However, we expect Apple to still rank ahead of Huawei in the aspect of gross revenue. Huawei’s rotating chairman Xu Zhijun had earlier stated that its revenue in 2019 is expected to surpass 850 billion yuan, an increase of about 18% year-on-year.

The company also disclosed that the Mate series and P series played vital roles in the total shipment. Sales of this year’s models from both series grew by more than 50% year-on-year. Most of the models were sold in China where Huawei shifted its focus after the US ban ensure it couldn’t launch new models with Google apps on board. Huawei deployed an aggressive marketing format in the sales of its flagships.

Further, Huawei hinted that it shipped an estimated 6.9 million 5G mobile phones last year. In addition, Huawei also performed well in the smart wearable market. Among them, Huawei Watch 2 shipped more than two million units in three months, Huawei FreeBud 3 headsets had a record shipment of more than one million units in the first month, and Huawei VR Class sales exceeded 10,000 units in the first day.

In the software aspect, Huawei disclosed that the total number of registered users of its sports health app exceeded 100 million persons while the Huawei terminal cloud service presently has 400 million monthly active users, covering more than 170 countries across different regions.

(source)

Xiaomi launches Mi Portable Wireless Mouse in India

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jan 15, 2020

Xiaomi is gradually increasing its portfolio of non-phone products sold in other markets outside China over the past year. Today, it announced the Mi Portable Wireless Mouse in India which has a price tag of INR 499 (~$7).

For those with a keen eye for detail, the Mi Portable Wireless Mouse is the same mouse that launched in China back in June 2018 as the Mi Wireless Mouse Youth Edition. The Mouse comes in black and white color variants; it has an ergonomic design that is also comfortable; and is ultralightweight, weighing just 56 grams.

Xiaomi says the mouse has excellent tracking accuracy with its best in class DPI of 1200. It has a two-way scroll wheel that is also clickable

It has a tiny 2.4GHz wireless receiver that can be stored in a groove inside the mouse. The Mi Portable Wireless Mouse is powered by 1 x AA battery and boasts a battery life of 12 months, so you don’t have to worry about changing the battery often.

You can pick up the Mi Portable Wireless Mouse on the official online store for INR 499 (~$7). At this price, you can grab an extra unit for a friend or colleague that needs a mouse too.

Xiaomi has a plethora of mice and keyboards launched under its own name and from partner companies. The good thing is there is a product for every price range.

Xiaomi’s crowdfunded Morror Art floating speaker found to have copied the Lyrics Speaker

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 15, 2020

Xiaomi recently launched the Morror Art Floating Speaker under the Youpin crowdfunding platform with a design that can at best be described as spectacular and innovating. Or wait, a smart speaker with a similar design has already been launched in 2018 dubbed Lyrics Speaker.

Turns out the Morror Art floating speaker may have copied the design of the Lyrics Speaker manufactured by a Japanese tech company Cotodama. One of our readers had pointed out the similarity between the two, stating that the Lyrics Speaker was even unboxed by Unbox Therapy two years ago. He is right! The Morror Art Speaker looks like a replica of the Lyrics Speaker.

Here is a picture of both speakers. On the left is the Lyric Speaker and on the right is MORROR ART crowdfunded by Xiaomi Youpin. With the similarity in design and functionality, it is easy to confuse the two as the same product. In terms of appearance, both speakers have floating lyrics display features, both use rectangular translucent design, the speakers are distributed on the upper left and lower right. The volume of the Lyric Speaker is adjusted on the front of the fuselage, and the volume of MORROR ART is adjusted on the right of the fuselage. Overall, the similarity level is put at over 90%.

One major thing the Morror Art will have as an upper hand over the price tag. The Lyric Speaker is priced at $ 4,500. That is because it is hand-built with a monthly output of only 15 units. On the other hand, the Morror Art speaker is priced at just 2999 yuan ($431). As at the moment, the Lyric Speaker has not been sold in China so this may likely not result in a lawsuit. However, Xiaomi will definitely not bring this product to its Indiegogo crowdfunding platform except they have an agreement with Cotodama.

(source)

Xiaomi Youpin store launches Lipstick color Bluetooth Mechanical Keyboard for 658 Yuan ($95)

By

Sean

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Jan 15, 2020

Earlier today (15th January 2020), the Xiaomi Youpin store launched a new third party product in its New Year’s Festival offerings. The new LoFree Lipstick color Bluetooth Mechanical Keyboard brings the comfort of typing on mechanical keys as well as a design that stands out from the crowd.

Specs and Design

The LoFree Bluetooth keyboard is a mechanical keyboard with a dimension of 306 × 114.5 × 30.6mm and a weight of 810 grams. The Lofree dot keyboard can be used both wired and wirelessly, connects via a micro USB cable or through Bluetooth. It is powered by a large 4,000mAh battery pack and is compatible with Windows OS, macOS, iOS and even Android OS.

One of the most unique aspects regarding this mechanical keyboard is undoubtedly its color scheme. It features a Lipstick like color palette with aesthetics matching the makeup accessory. The keyboard features a total of 79 keys that are arranged and electroplate in a retro typewriter shape. According to official notes, LoFree used ColorStay to strengthen the spraying process making the colors more accurate and long-lasting.

Price and Availability

Xiaomi Youpin’s LoFree Bluetooth Mechanical Keyboard with Lipstick color is available for a price of 658 Yuan. This roughly translates to about 95 US Dollars. It is available on the official Youpin website and has been released in China.

(Via)

Buy Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Smartphone for Just $355.99 from Banggood [Coupon]

By

Vinay Patel

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Jan 15, 2020

After floating around the rumor mill and making multiple appearances online in the form of leaks, Xiaomi’s long-awaited Mi 9T Pro smartphone was finally made available to the public last year.

As it continues to garner popularity among smartphone lovers even month after hitting the store shelves, the 6GB RAM+128GB ROM global version of the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro smartphone has gone up for sale carrying considerably lowered price tag through Banggood. We will not only shed light on the aforesaid discount but also see how you can save more money at checkout.

The aforesaid Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro model would normally set you back $599.99 on both online, as well as offline stores, but the Chinese e-tailer known for offering the best bang for your buck is now offering it for a reduced price of just $548.99, which translates to a 9 percent off.

Moreover, you can even extend this noteworthy discount by applying coupon code BG19TP at the time of checking out. The coupon enables you to grab an extra $193 off by reducing the already lowered retail price to just $355.99.

As if that weren’t enough, Banggood is offering free shipping on orders over $19.99. If this is your first order with the popular Chinese e-tailer, you can even take advantage of the $18 OFF New User Coupon and save more money before placing your order.

An absolute steal at this price, the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro offers the following features:

6.39-inch AMOLED FHD+ display with full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels
Latest 7th generation in-display fingerprint Scanner
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Octa-core processor
Adreno 640 GPU
48MP+8MP+13MP triple rear cameras
Pop-up 20MP front camera
MIUI 10 base on Android 9 Pie OS
4000mAh battery, 27W fast charging

You can know more about the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro smartphone by heading straight to this link. Note that the coupon will be valid only for the first 100 units and it will expire on January 31st. The above-mentioned discount is available for the Glacier blue and Flame Red color options, while the Carbon Black model carries an 8 percent off.

The Gizmochina Coupons is a community that finds, reports and evaluates deals and coupons of Chinese products from online shops. Please visit it here to find more coupons to save money on mobiles and smart gadgets.

Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Smartphone

Samsung dethroned by Intel for Top Semiconductor Market Position

By

Sean

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Jan 15, 2020

Samsung, the smartphone manufacturer and electronics giant, has been beaten by Intel for the top spot in the semiconductor market. The former had initially broken the latter’s 24 year long streak at the top but has now fallen short.

Samsung is well known for its consumer grade electronic products like home appliances, smartphones and more. But, it is also an industry giant in the chip making market, with memory chips and other products. After the company became the most profitable tech company in 2017, the South Korean giant took the throne for the top spot in the semiconductor market after beating Intel.

The top spot was held by Samsung in 2018 after it outsold Intel in the same market. However, the second half of the same year saw the decline in Samsung’s business which had favored Intel. According to reports, the memory market had more supply than demand and prices for memory chips declined, leading to losses for the smartphone OEM. This plummet in the market took a whole year to normalize but 2019 still saw a fall of the sale price of NAND and DRAM flash products by up to 47.4 percent.

Samsung’s semiconductor division is one of its largest sources of revenue. Thus, the impact of the market decline was seen in its annual financial reports with the lowest profits seen in the past three years in 2019. In Q2 and Q3, the company saw a decline of 56 percent in profits while Q4 saw profits fall by 53 percent.

On the other hand, Intel had not suffered from the same decline in the market as it is primarily a chipmaker, developing desktop and laptop grade processors rather than memory chips. Hence, it recovered relatively quickly in comparison to Samsung and took back the top spot in the global semiconductor market by revenue. The company made $65.8 billion while Samsung made $52.2 billion.

Samsung LPDDR5 2019 DRAM — Samsung LPDDR5 DRAM (2019)

Owing to this, Samsung is currently investing in diversifying its semiconductor business. The move is from a strategic standpoint to generate more revenue from non-memory based operations. This might have allowed the company to also receive an order from Intel to manufacture its 14nm chips, as the company is struggling with CPU supply. Since the memory market is expected to recover by 2020 as the excess inventory is exhausted, Samsung is projected to retake the lead soon.

(Via)

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip to come with 3,300mAh battery, plastic film on ultra-thin glass display

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 15, 2020

Details of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip clamshell foldable phone have been consistently surfacing since the past few weeks.. This is the second smartphone from the South Korean giant to feature a foldable display. The Galaxy Z Flip is expected to make a formal debut next month alongside the Galaxy S20. More news comes on the Galaxy Z Flip from XDA TV host and XDA Developer staff Max Weinbach, who revealed some credible information about the forthcoming Galaxy S20+ in the past few days..

According to the latest tweet from Max, the Galaxy Z Flip foldable clamshell phone sports a 3,300 mAh battery, which although insufficient by current standards, is much higher than its direct rival, the Moto Razr. The device is powered by Snapdragon 855. Unlike the fused plastic on top of the display panel on the Galaxy Fold, the Z Flip’s display uses ultra-thin glass panels. However, Samsung will offer a replaceable plastic sheet on top of the glass panel in case users want to replace the plastic layer after a while. This significantly reduces the cost of removing scratches from the display.

The Galaxy Z Flip was showcased behind close doors at the recently held Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020. The handset is codenamed Galaxy Bloom. The Galaxy Z Flip moniker was confirmed by popular leakster Ice Universe last week via Twitter. The Z Flip is expected to come with similar specifications as the Galaxy S10.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Renders by LetsGoDiigital

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Design

The leaked photos of the Galaxy Z Flip appeared on Weibo back in December 2019. The images revealed that the flip phone, flaunts an Infinity-O display with rounded corners and slim bezels on all sides. Unlike the Galaxy Fold, the Z Flip has a horizontally-mounted hinge that disappears when the display folds in half. When unfolded, the display does not showcase creasing but reveals a tall display ratio and a centrally-located punch-hole camera. The volume rocker can be found on the right edge.

The rear panel features a dual-camera setup mounted horizontally, complete with a single LED flash. Right next to the camera module lies a small secondary display showing the notifications. A USB Type-C port can be seen on the bottom edge. Although, an AUX port is not visible. There is no word on whether the Z Flip has an in-screen fingerprint scanner. A physical sensor was also not revealed in any of the images.

Editor’s Pick: Samsung Note 10 Lite tipped to go on sale in India mid-February; reservation goes live Jan. 21

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Specifications and Features

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is expected to flaunt a 6.7-inch primary display along with a 1-inch secondary display on the exterior. The smartphone apparently is powered by the Snapdragon 855 SoC, instead of the more powerful Snapdragon 865, leading experts to believe it will not be a premium offering. The Z Flip is rumored to feature 8GB of RAM along with 256GB of native storage. It should run on the Android 10-based One UI 2.0.

In terms of optics, the Galaxy Z Flip is expected to flaunt a 10-megapixel selfie camera. While the specifications of the rear cameras are unknown. According to leaked information from the Chinese 3C certification, Samsung may offer a 15W fast charger with the Z Flip.

Samsung is scheduled to host the launch event of the new Galaxy S20 lineup on February 11. The Galaxy Z Flip is expected to be showcased at the event.

(source)

Huawei Mate Xs to launch in March 2020, with a better display and hinge

By

Sean

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Jan 15, 2020

Around this time last year, Huawei went on stage at MWC 2019 to unveil its first foldable smartphone, the Mate X. The unique handset went on sale later the same year and received a relatively positive reception. Now, a year has passed and reports suggest that the Chinese tech giant will launch a successor named Mate Xs which is expected to be launched in March 2020.

Huawei Mate Xs is more than just a tweaked version of the original Mate X. Reportedly, the foldable smartphone is easier to manufacture than its predecessor while still providing a similar if not greater experience. This also indicated that the company may sell the handset at a lower price in comparison to the previous entry.

The Mate X cost 16,999 Yuan or roughly 2,467 US Dollars. Thus, if the Mate Xs is priced lower than this, it might be able to appeal to a broader audience and a larger demographic. From a manufacturing point of view, the ease in production and economy of scales due to large demand is also beneficial to Huawei.

Previously, Yu Chengdong, the CEO of Huawei, stated that the Mate Xs will be available in February 2020 and will arrive with a better processor, improved display and an upgraded hinge mechanism. Hence, the upcoming foldable smartphone will be powered by HiSilicon’s Kirin 990 5G SoC.

Furthermore, the report also mentions that the company has made many adjustments to the design of the second entry in the series. The hinge is said to be more durable and the entire body is made more durable and portable with a smaller overall size. Notably, Huawei is also expected to release a second foldable smartphone in the second half of this year.

(Via)

Poco X2 Geekbench listing reveals 8 GB RAM, Android 10 OS; Rebranded Redmi K30 for India?

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 15, 2020

At the end of December 2019, Xiaomi Pocophone Global Head Alvin Tse had released a tweet that hinted a new Poco handset will be arriving in the year 2020. The tweet was deleted immediately. Earlier this week, Xiaomi filed trademark application for the Poco F2 moniker. This hinted the arrival of the Poco F2 could be few months away. Interestingly, a new device named Poco X2 has appeared on Geekbench with some key specs. The name has been spotted for the first time. Last year, a fake Geekbench listing of the Poco F1 Lite had fooled many tech sites. There is no confirmation on the existence of a Poco X2 handset and it is advisable to wait for newer reports to know whether it really exists.

The Poco X2 Geekbench 5 listing shows that it is fueled by a Qualcomm processor that has a base frequency of 1.80GHz. The SoC is coupled of 8 GB of RAM. Instead of the name of the chipset, the listing has ‘phoenixin’ mentioned in the motherboard field.

The Poco X2 handset is loaded with Android 10 OS. On Geekbench 5’s single-core test scored 547 points. It recorded a score of 1767 in the multi-core test.

Editor’s Pick: Hands-on photos of the Redmi Note 8 Pro Twilight Orange variant show a frosted glass back

In November 2019, XDA Developers had carried a report that had revealed some of the key details of the Redmi K30 before its December launch. It had scoured through MIUI 11 code to find a phone codenamed as Phoenix to be equipped with features like a 120Hz screen, a side-facing fingerprint sensor and the Sony IMX686 sensor. The Phoenix debuted as Redmi K30.

The Redmi K20 Pro handset’s codename is Raphael and its Indian edition is codenamed as ‘raphaelin.’ The Redmi K30 is codenamed as Phoenix and the newly spotted Poco F2 has ‘in’ suffix in its ‘phoenixin’ codename. Hence, there is a possibility that Redmi K30 could be rebranded as Poco X2 in India. The Redmi K30 that has a model number of M191G7BI was spotted in the database of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).v The BIS approval suggests that the handset could be coming to India soon. However, instead of the Redmi K30 moniker, it could be called Poco X2.

(source)

Xiaomi India says Android 10 coming to Mi A3 next month

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Jan 15, 2020

A few days ago, Xiaomi began rolling out the Android 10 update to the Mi A2, its Android One smartphone from 2018. We hoped the update would arrive shortly after for the Mi A3 but new info has revealed there is a bit more waiting to do.

The Official Xiaomi India Twitter account revealed in a tweet responding to a user’s inquiry about the Android 10 update for the Mi A3, that the update will be out in Mid-February. That is about a month away from now and is surely going to anger more users. However, on the brighter side, there is a timeframe now and Xiaomi best keeps to it or releases the update earlier than expected.

HMD Global has updated some of its devices to Android 10 but it still has quite a lot that are still on Android 9 Pie. Save for the Nokia 9 PureView, the rest of its phones released in 2019 are still running Android Pie. There is a time frame for when these devices will get the update but the roadmap doesn’t mention the Nokia 6.2 and Nokia 7.2.

Thanks for your excitement and patience. Glad to announce the update will be out in mid February for Mi A3.

— Mi India #108MP IS COMING! (@XiaomiIndia) January 14, 2020

Android 10 will bring a new navigation system, Dark Mode, new notification settings, Family Link in Digital Wellbeing, Smart Replies, and more.

(Source)

Country Garden opens up Foodom, China’s first fully robot operated restaurant

By

Airyl Jaszly

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Jan 15, 2020

Chinese real estate giant Country Garden Holdings Co. Ltd. opened its first restaurant operated mainly by robots in Guangzhou over the weekend. The restaurant, named Foodom, located in Zhujiang New Town, mainly serves cuisine from Shunde, the hometown of founder Yang Guoqiang.

Robot waiters greet customers at the entrance. Using an AI system, they guide customers to their seats, recommend specials of the day and take orders. Food is delivered to the tables via a conveyor belt. The restaurant uses robots to cook, deliver food, take orders and guide customers.

It is said that the robots are “learning” their skills from the top 10 Shunde chefs, using a computer program to follow every detail such as temperature control, ingredients, and cooking time. The program is repeatedly fine-tuned to reach the precision level required. In the kitchen alone, there are 32 robots preparing and cooking food.

After trying the dishes, famous local chef Lin Chao gave the restaurant the thumbs up. While there is no doubt about the sophisticated technology being used at Foodom, cost may be a deciding factor when it comes to commercial viability.

SoftBank-backed Zume Pizza, which also employs a high degree of automation, has suffered a serious setback due to excessive money burning and lack of continued funding support. Zume shuttered its pizza business and pivoted into food-truck tech and services in November 2019. Then, in January 2020, the company laid off 400 employees to further cut costs.

Country Garden has reportedly spent around 200 million yuan (US$29 million) setting up the new restaurant. One can’t help but wonder how long it would take for it to break even. The top developer, which sold more than 770 billion yuan worth of properties last year, is not worried at all. The deep-pocketed Yang is said to be planning to open 1,000 such robotic restaurants across China within two years, hoping to drive down costs through economies of scale.

(Source)

Hands-on photos of the Redmi Note 8 Pro Twilight Orange variant show a frosted glass back

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Jan 15, 2020

W don’t see Xiaomi phones coming in red colours so often but once in a while, the tech giant tweaks things up with a Red flavoured version like the Phantom Red variant of the Redmi 8. Xiaomi recently introduced a Redmi Note 8 Pro Twilight Orange variant. We recently came across the first hands-on images of the new variant shared on Twitter by tipster @Sudhanshu1414.

The hands-on images reveal a vital design change on the Twilight orange variant. The device adopts a similar design with the other colour variants of the Redmi Note 8 Pro but the panel saw an upgrade. The Twilight Orange variant uses a frosted glass back instead of the smooth-textured glass panel used on the other four variants. The smartphone still retains an IP52 splash resistant body.

The Redmi Note 8 series was launched in China in August last year with the Redmi Note 8 Pro at the forefront. The Redmi Note 8 Pro came out as the world’s first to come with 64-megapixel primary camera sensor.

The Redmi Note 8 Pro Twilight Orange colour option comes in two variants — 6GB RAM + 128GB storage priced at 1,399 yuan (~$201) and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage priced at 1,599 yuan (~$230).

(source)

US tech companies like Qualcomm and Ford hope to bolster cooperation with China

By

Airyl Jaszly

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Jan 15, 2020

With CES 2020 having just concluded, many companies have come forward pushing prospects for future cooperation and exchanges with Chinese companies very soon. Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon claims he is “super excited” about Qualcomm’s business in China. The company hopes to continue their successful partnerships with Chinese companies like Xiaomi, OPPO, OnePlus and vivo.

“We are not backing down on our China cooperation. We’re increasing our cooperation in resources towards or partnerships in China in the 5G transition,” claimed Amon. This partnership, according to Amon, allows Chinese partners to not only grow in domestic consumption, but also expand outside China, making it very mutually beneficial for both parties involved.

qualcomm-snapdragon-865-5g-mobile-platform-hero-image-800x450 — Qualcomm Snapdragon 865

Josh Cross, founder and CEO of American power and tracking technology company Elios, told Xinhua the company’s cooperation with China dates back to 2015. Elios’ software design is done in the United States and the hardware part is done in China. Currently it is cooperating with three Chinese companies in GPS products, power, and sourcing, Cross said.

China has very good infrastructure, years of experience and high efficiency, he said. Elios also expects to cooperate with more Chinese partners in the near future. Ford Motor also plans to step up its business in China. The company’s new all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV, will be on show in the Chinese market in April this year, and be available in the Chinese market next year, according to the company.

“Ford plans to further enhance cooperation with China in the five years to come, explore local strategic partners for joint innovation,” she said. Some tech companies value China’s huge market, manufacturing and labor costs, while some others value China’s innovation technologies, and its geological location which can be considered as a logistics hub towards southeast Asian countries.

You can find more CES2020 coverage from here.

(Source)

Realme X50 5G will launch in Russia soon

By

Sean

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Jan 15, 2020

Realme X50 5G has been confirmed for a launch in Russia. However, finer details like the date of launch and exact pricing have yet to be announced.

In 2019, MTS, the leading network provider in Russia launched its 5G coverage in certain cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg. Notably, the infrastructure and equipment used by the service provider for the faster and newer bandwidth are from Huawei. The Chinese tech giant is well known for its network and related technological supplements and has brought mmWave and sub-6GHz standards to the largest nation in the world.

Thus, Russia is now slowly emerging as another viable 5G smartphone market like the US and Canada. Hence, Chinese smartphone manufacturers like Realme can launch their 5G enabled smartphones. As of right now, China and South Korea are at the forefront of the networking advancement but other countries are expected to soon follow by the end of this year.

Realme X50 5G is a smartphone that features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G processor which houses a built-in X52 modem, which makes it capable of 5G networking. Keep in mind, it only supports sub-6GHz 5G so it is going to be limited by network provider/carrier support. In simpler terms, Realme X50 5G will support MTS but will not work with Tele2, since it launched a mmWave only network (in partnership with Ericsson) in Moscow.

For those interested, Realme X50 5G is a mid range smartphone that sports a quad camera setup on the rear. It is powered by a large 4,200mAh battery and offers RAM up to 12GB and internal storage up to 256GB. The premium end variant is priced at 2,999 Yuan which roughly translates to about 432 US Dollars.

(Via)

OnePlus 8 (IN2011) India variant receives BIS certification

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

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Jan 15, 2020

OnePlus 8 series of flagship phones will be made official in the second quarter of this year. India has been one of the major markets for OnePlus. Like the predecessor smartphones, the OnePlus 8 lineup which includes a new member called OnePlus 8 Lite is expected to receive good reception from the country. Well ahead of the launch, the Indian variant of the purported OnePlus 8 that has a model number of IN2011 has been approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in the country.

The BIS listing of the IN2011 has not revealed the actual name of the device. Also, it lacks any information on its specifications. A similar model number i.e. IN2010 was approved by the China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in the recent. It only confirmed the support for dual-mode 5G networks on the device. It is believed that the IN2023 OnePlus phone that was recently spotted on the Geekbench benchmarking platform could be the OnePlus 8 Pro.

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OnePlus 8 specifications (Rumored)

It is speculated that OnePlus 8 will be arriving with a 6.4-inch S-AMOLED punch-hole display. It may support 120Hz refresh rate and full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. The handset will be equipped with an in-screen fingerprint reader. The Snapdragon 865 mobile platform may fuel the phone with 8 GB / 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. It could be coming in 128 GB and 256 GB of UFS 3.0 storage options.

The OnePlus 8 may feature a front-facing camera of 32-megapixel. Its rear could be fitted with a triple camera setup with Sony IMX686 64-megapixel main lens, a 20-megapixel ultrawide sensor and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom support. The handset could be backed by a 4,000mAh battery that supports 30W fast charging. Some leaks have claimed that it will carry support for fast wireless charging.

The OnePlus 8 may come in models like 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage and 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. These variants could be priced at 3,699 Yuan (~$537), 3,999 Yuan (~$580) and 4,299 Yuan (~$624), respectively. Readers are recommended to digest the specs and pricing leak with a grain of salt.

(source)

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