Xiaomi had launched the Poco F1 as its first Pocophone smartphone brand last year with the launch of Snapdragon 845 mobile platform powered Poco F2 smartphone. It was one of the most popular phones of 2018 as it arrived with an astonishingly affordable price tag along with flagship specs. Poco fans have been endlessly waiting for the arrival of the Poco F2. Some reports had claimed that the China’s Redmi K20 Pro could be rebranded as Poco F2 in India. However, that did not happen. Other rumors had claimed that Xiaomi may kill the Poco brand and continue to sell cheaper flagship phones under Redmi branding. A fresh tweet from Pocophone Global Head Alvin Tse reveals that the company has no plans to desert the brand and it may launch a new Poco phone in 2020. The tweet has since been taken down.
The above shown tweet sates, “You will hear more from POCO in 2020.” This seems to be a good hint that the Poco F2 will be made official in 2020. Tse did not share any information on the specs of the Poco F2. The tweet does not really tell that the Poco F2 is next year. Xiaomi’s sub-brand will announce something new next year. It could be the much-awaited Poco F2 or some other Poco product.
This year, the Redmi entered the upper mid-range and flagship segment with the launch of Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro smartphones. Since the Redmi K20 series carried pricing that were similar to the launch price of Poco F1, it was difficult to guess how Xiaomi could be pricing the Poco F2. It appears that the Chinese manufacturer decided to postpone the launch of Poco F2 to year 2020.
Redmi has recently launched the Redmi K30 in China. The Dimensity 1000 or Snapdragon 865 powered Redmi K30 Promay break cover by March 2020. The Redmi K20 series had arrived with a notch-less display and a pop-up selfie camera. The Redmi K30 that has gone official in China features a dual punch-hole display. The Redmi K30 Pro may also arrive with a similar design. As far as Poco F2 is concerned, it may sport a notch-less display and a pop-up selfie snapper like the Redmi K20 series. Case renders of the alleged Poco F2 that had appeared few months had suggested that it may appear like the Redmi K20 Pro.
The Poco F2 could be sporting a polycarbonate chassis like the predecessor to keep the cost low. However, it may arrive with some attractive design. It could be featuring an IPS LCD notch-less display and its rear could be equipped with triple cameras. India did not receive the Snapdragon 855+ edition of the Redmi K20 Pro that was unveiled as Redmi K20 Pro Exclusive Edition earlier in China. The Poco F1 had launched as the cheapest SD845 SoC powered phone last year in India Hence, there is a possibility that the Poco F2 could be arriving as the cheapest smartphone driven by the SD855+ SoC. All these are just speculations. It is advisable to wait for further leaks to know more about the Poco F2.
Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy Note 10 Lite smartphone in January 2020. Recent reports have revealed that it has a model number of SM-N770F and it will be equipped with an S Pen stylus. The inclusion of ‘Lite’ in its moniker is a clear hint that it will be arriving as an affordable edition of the original Galaxy Note 10 Lite. Winfuture.de had recently shared the leaked press render of the phablet. A fresh report by the same publication has revealed the entire specifications and new renders of the Note 10 Lite.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite Specifications (Rumored)
The Galaxy Note 10 Lite will be arriving with a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display that offers full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. As it can be seen in the renders, the Lite edition retains the Infinity-O display design like the original Note 10 phone. The display of the phablet that supports HDR produces a pixel density of 391 ppi. The screen of the device is embedded with a fingerprint scanner.
The Exynos 9810 chipset powered the Galaxy S9 series and Galaxy Note 9 smartphones in the year 2018. The same SoC will be fueling the Note 10 Lite that is expected to go official in January 2020. The 10nm SoC offers maximum clocking speeds of 2.7GHz. The Note 10 Lite is expected to arrive with a cheaper price tag than the upcoming Galaxy S10 Lite. One of the major reasons behind it is the inclusion of the Exynos 9810 SoC. The S10 Lite will be arriving with Snapdragon 855 mobile platform.
The Exynos 9810 chipset will be coupled with 6 GB of RAM. The device will offer users with a built-in storage of 128 GB. A microSD card slot will be available onboard for expanding its storage. The One UI 2.0 based Android 10 OS will come preloaded on the device. The phablet will be equipped with a big battery of 4,500mAh capacity. It will arrive with 25W fast charging technology.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite will be equipped with triple cameras housed inside a squarish module along with an LED flash. It will have an f/1.7 aperture 12-megapixel man lens with dual pixel autofocus. It will be coupled with an f/2.4 aperture 12-megapixel telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom support. The third lens will be an f/2.2 aperture 12-megapixel wide-angle lens. The Note 10 Lite will allow users to capture UHD videos at 60fps and it will also arrive with support for super slow-motion video recording. There is no confirmation on whether the smartphone will arrive with OIS. For shooting selfies, the Note 10 Lite will possess a 32-megapixel front camera with f/2.0 aperture.
It was previously believed that the Note 10 Lite will arrive with a Bluetooth 5.1 enabled S Pen. However, the new leak reveals the smartphone will feature S Pen with Bluetooth 5.0 support. NFC, dual-band Wi-Fi and a 3.5mm audio jack will be also available on the phablet. The thickness of the device is 8.7mm and it weighs 198 grams.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite Price and Availability (Rumored)
The Galaxy Note 10 Lite is expected to arrive in Western Europe with a pricing of 609 euros. It is rumored hit the market by Jan. 10. As renders reveal, the Note 10 Lite may arrive in colors like Aura Black, Aura Red and Aura Glowpress.
The Vivo S1 Pro launched more than 7 months ago in China, now it has been reported that the phone will be making its way to India next month.
An exclusive report by 91Mobiles said the phone will be launching in India by mid-January. The info is said to have originated from retail sources.
The Vivo S1 Pro has a 6.39-inch FHD+ display that is devoid of a notch or punch hole thanks to its pop-up selfie camera design. It is powered by the Snapdragon 675 processor and comes with 6GB of RAM and up to 256GB of expandable storage.
The phone has a triple camera setup made up of a 48MP f/1.8 camera, an 8MP ultrawide angle camera, and a 5MP f/2.4 depth sensor. There is a 32MP camera that slides out from the right side of the top frame.
Inside the S1 Pro is a 3700mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. Sadly, it charges via a MicroUSB port. When the device launched in China, it ran Funtouch OS 9 based on Android. We do not know if the Indian launch will come with the new FuntouchOS 10. Other features of the phone include an in-display fingerprint scanner, FM radio, Bluetooth 5.0, and an audio jack.
The Honor MagicBook 15 was announced last month at the Honor V30 series launch. Depending on the configuration, the 15.6-inch notebook ships with AMD’s Ryzen 5 3500U or Ryzen R7 3700U CPU. Today, Honor announced new variants that are powered by Intel’s 10th Gen CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs.
The Honor MagicBook 15 Intel 10th-Gen version is available in four configurations:
The computer has a 15.6-inch IPS screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 87% screen-to-body ratio, and TUV Rheinland Display Certification. It ships with Windows 10 Home Edition, has NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, a fingerprint scanner buried in the power button, dual-band WiFi, 1 x USB 2.0 port, 1 x USB 3.0 port, 1 x HDMI port, and 1 x USB Type-C port for power. It also has an audio jack that doubles as a microphone jack and a webcam hidden between the function keys.
The Honor MagicBook 15 has a 42Wh lithium-polymer battery with support for 65W fast charging. Honor says the laptop will charge from empty to 70% in 1 hour while a full charge will take 2.5 hours. It will come with Huawei’s 65W USB-C power adapter inside the box.
The notebook is now available for pre-order. If you pay a deposit of between ¥100 to ¥200 (~$14 to ~$28), Honor will ship the computer with a free Honor Bluetooth mouse worth ¥129 (~$18) and a free Honor Minimalist Backpack that sells for ¥119 (~$17).
The Honor MagicBook 15 Intel Edition is expected to begin shipping in January 2020. You can pre-order one on Vmall.com.
It has been almost a month since the Honor V30 and Honor V30 Pro were announced in China and the two 5G phones are already on sale. Today, Honor announced a new color variant for the standard model at an event in China.
The Honor V30 was originally announced in three color variants – Gradient White, Black, and Blue. Starting on Tuesday, the 24th of December, buyers will be able to purchase the phone in a new color variant called Dawn Orange.
The new color variant is the same shade as the Huawei Mate 30 5G’ (and Mate 30 Pro 5G) Vegan Leather Orange but the Honor flagship keeps the glass body of the other colorways.
Honor says the new Dawn Orange variant will be available in two configurations – 6GB RAM + 128GB for ¥3299 (~$470) and 8GB RAM + 128GB for ¥3699 (~$528). It will go on sale on December 24 at 10:08 AM on Vmall, Jingdong (JD.com), Tmall, and Suning.
The Honor V30 has a 6.57-inch 1080 x 2400 LCD display with a punch hole at the top left corner for dual front-facing cameras. It is powered by the Kirin 990 processor and has a Balong 5000 modem for 5G.
The phone comes with a 40MP + 8MP telephoto + 8MP ultrawide triple rear cameras while the front is home to 32MP + 8MP ultrawide front-facing cameras. The telephoto rear cameras has 3x optical zoom and optical image stabilization.
The Honor V30 packs a 4200mAh battery with support for 40W fast charging technology. It has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, NFC, dual-frequency GPS, and dual SIM support. It runs Magic UI 3.0 based on Android 10 out of the box.
Smartphones are ubiquitous, and most of our work happens on these handheld devices, which we carry everywhere. These tiny devices are capable of doing multiple tasks that we don’t even require computers unless our tasks demand high-end hardware. The apps or applications on our smartphones make our life easier by helping as well as saving us more time while performing our work. The type of apps that fall in this category is commonly known as ‘Productivity Apps.’ But the thing is, there are several options, and thus we have compiled a list of ‘Best Productivity Apps’ to help you decide which one to use.
This list contains all sorts of productivity apps like notes, word processors, reminders, and such. So, you do not need to look further for separate apps on the web. Also, all the apps listed below are available for both iOS and Android operating systems. Thus, if you happen to use any of these devices, you do not need to worry.
If you are in the market for a note-taking app, Evernote should be your first choice. Being one of the oldest names in the industry, it has evolved, offering features that work well as intended. Additionally, it is available on all the leading platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. However, although free tier is more than enough for lite users, it is recommended to opt for premium plans if you are a professional who depends on periodic notes.
Google Keep is another note app that is quietly different from Evernote. It does not offer the unique cool features that the former one does, but it does the basics right. And the best part, it is entirely free. If you want a simple cross-platform notes app, then Google Keep should be your first option.
Since we are done with notes, the next thing that comes into mind is tasks, and the best app for managing it is Any.do. Just like Evernote, the advanced features require subscription, which now even includes WhatsApp integration. Anyways, the free plan is just excellent for regular users. It is available on all the leading platforms, similar to the previous apps.
Google Tasks is an alternative to Any.do, which is entirely free and works well with Google Assistant on both phones and smart speakers. If you are a power Google services user, then this app must be your cup of tea as it integrates well with Gmail and Google Calendar for a seamless experience.
Microsoft Office suite of apps has been the de facto of productive software like a word processor – Word, spreadsheet – Excel, presentation – PowerPoint, and more since their introduction in the 90s. As time went by, they are now also available on our smartphones and all the basic things are free to use, unlike their Windows and macOS counterparts. But certain advanced features desired by professionals does require a subscription.
Slack is a replacement for an email in order to converse with your colleagues and teammates in a casual chat manner. It also supports the integration of various other popular productivity apps so that you can easily share those attachments without any hassle. Slack Subscription plans include three tiers – Standard, Plus, and Enterprise Grid. There is also a free tier with limited features.
Trello is simply a digital version of a bulletin board app that allows users to drag and drop tasks, to-do lists, reminders, documents, and similar things with support for integrations from other apps and services. These boards can be further shared with multiple other users working on the same project or likewise. It is free to use with limited features, but for all functionalities, you will have to opt for a subscription-based on your requirements.
IFTTT is a must-have app that helps you save lots of time by automating tasks by using appropriate ‘applets.’ It integrates with multiple services, apps, and devices, depending on tasks that are carried out by enabling available applets or creating one by yourself. It is free to use, but the app also offers two different subscription plans as Developer and Business, respectively.
These are some best apps that can save time and automate some tasks to enhance overall productivity. If you have any recommendations, then let us know about it via the comments below.
When the new year begins, Realme is expected to announce the Realme X50 in China, its first 5G smartphone which will come with a Snapdragon 765G processor. However, that may not be the only new device we will be getting.
It has been reported that Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has certified two new Realme phones. These two phones are the Realme C3 and Realme 5i.
The info was shared on Twitter by Sudhanshu Ambhore (@Sudhanshu1414). He included screenshots of the certificates and they reveal the Realme C3 has model number RMX1941 while the Realme 5i has model number RMX2030.
The Realme C3 will be the successor of the Realme C2 that was launched in May of this year. We don’t know what features it will bring but they might be slight changes to what the Realme C2 currently offers.
The Realme 5i, on the other hand, might be a version of the Realme 5 with fewer features since the Realme 5s is a slightly upgraded version of the Realme 5.
Both phones will likely still run ColorOS 6 based on Android Pie out of the box if they will be launching at the beginning of the coming year. However, an update to ColorOS 7 should come later.
The Realme X2 Pro is Realme’s first flagship phone. It already launched in China before launching in India last month. The phone is available in two configurations – 8GB RAM + 128GB and 12GB RAM + 256GB in the country. On Friday, Realme‘s CEO announced that a 6GB RAM + 64GB version will soon be available.
The 6GB RAM + 64GB version is actually sold in China but unlike the other two versions, its storage is UFS 2.1 and not UFS 3.0. We have no idea what the price will be in India but it sells for ¥2699 (~$385) on Realme’s online store in China. It is important to mention that there is also an 8GB RAM + 256GB version sold in China that is not sold in India.
Design is what #realme is always good at. Time to reveal the 'Master' surprises:
Introducing #realmeX2Pro: 🎁Concrete & Red Brick Master editions. 🎁6+64GB variant also coming soon.
Madhav Sheth also revealed in the tweet that the Realme X2 Pro Concrete and Red Brick Master Editions will go on sale on December 24 at 8:55 PM (local time) on Realme.com and Flipkart.
The Realme X2 Pro has a 6.5-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a notch and a 90Hz refresh rate. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855+ processor. There is a 16MP camera in front for selfies while the rear is home to a 64MP quad-camera setup. The other rear sensors are a 13MP telephoto camera with 20X hybrid zoom, an 8MP ultrawide angle camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. The phone has a Super Night Scene mode, EIS, and can record slow-motion videos at 960fps.
Realme has included NFC, dual-frequency GPS, dual SIM support, and an audio jack. There is a 4000mAh battery under the hood with support for 50W SuperVOOC Flash Charge. It also supports USB Power Delivery and Qualcomm’s 18W fast charge technology.
We have seen a huge amount of revolutionary and amazing smartphones in 2019, but obviously not every amazing phone succeeded. 2019 was the year of foldable phones and 5G, but a lot of companies also launched awesome flagship killers and devices with an incredibly high value for money. Some of these devices are simply awesome and they deserved a lot of success, but it seems that just a small number of people realized their awesomeness and they turned out to be flops. Through this post, we tried to make some justice and we collected all the devices we consider the most underrated smartphones of 2019. If you are looking for a new device, we think you should definitely give a chance to one of the handsets in this list.
Top underrated smartphones of the year
Lenovo Z6
We think Lenovo Z6 is definitely the most underrated affordable smartphone of 2019. If you do not agree, tell us one single phone offering the power of the Snapdragon 730 chipset for less than 200 bucks. The Lenovo Z6 is also equipped with an amazing display: an OLED panel with a 120 Hz sampling rate (but 60Hz refresh rate) just like the iPhone Xs. Further, it has support for HDR10 and it even provides a high DCI P3 coverage.
Also, the Lenovo Z6 seems to be the most lightweight device packing a 4000 mAh battery: weighing just 159 grams! Last but not least, it features a triple camera with 2x optical zoom.
Asus Zenfone 6 is the world’s first smartphone with dual flip-up rear cameras allowing the special dual-camera setup found on this device to be used both as rear cameras and front cameras. But this is not the only revolution: you can actually regulate the position of the cameras so that you can set them at any angle between 0 and 180°. For example, by rotating it by 90 degrees, you can take a photo of the ceiling without moving your smartphone. Let’s not forget that Asus Zenfone 6 also comes with a huge 5000 mAh battery making it one of the best flagships in terms of battery life. The phone even supports reverse charging so that you can use it as a power bank. Other impressive features are its notch-less display, stereo speakers, Snapdragon 855 chipset, and revamped ZenUI which is now close to stock Android. ASUS also promised it will get updated to Android 11.
This year Meizu released an amazing flagship killer but no one seems to have noticed it. We are talking about the Meizu 16T. It comes with a powerful Snapdragon 855 chipset and UFS 3.0 internal storage, as well as a big 4500 mAh battery, but its listing price starts from less than $350 (and let’s not talk about street prices)! Usually, at that price, you can only find mid-rangers with Snapdragon 7xx series processors. You even get stereo speakers and a notch-less AMOLED display with very narrow bezels. Unfortunately, it is only sold in China.
The Xiaomi Mi 9T (also known as Redmi K20 in the Asian market) was literally overshadowed by its Pro version: Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro aka Redmi K20 Pro. That is why a lot of people ignored it. But it is very hard to find a so balanced mid-ranger at its price. First of all, it has a very nice hardware department (Snapdragon 730 and at least 6 GB of RAM) and a big 4000 mAh battery. It even packs pretty interesting cameras including a telephoto sensor. Further, it has an innovative design thanks to a notch-less display and a pop-up camera. And thanks to online street prices, it is even available for less than €250 globally.
Let’s go back to underrated flagship smartphones with the LG G8X ThinQ. It does not have any weak point and its price is also very interesting, yet it did not succeed. You can even get it with an accessory bringing an additional display, so it can be even considered an affordable alternative to foldable phones. Just like most of the LG phones, it has military certification and it is even waterproof. It offers top-notch performance thanks to the Snapdragon 855 chipset and UFS 2.1 storage. It has a big 4000 mAh battery with wireless charging and even a great rear camera with OIS. Yet there was never a lot of hype around it?
The U.S. ban changed a lot of things for Huawei. The company did not even launch the latest flagship series from its sub-brand in the European market. Huawei sales declined after the ban and the same happened to Honor. But the Honor 20 Pro is one of the most compact flagship smartphones and the best Android camera phone under 6.3-inch. It mounts a 48 MP quad camera with OIS, 3x optical zoom and a dedicated macro lens. Despite its small dimensions, it packs a 4000 mAh battery and it even has a flagship-class hardware department with the Kirin 980 chipset. The punch-hole display makes it even more attractive.
The potentialities of a dual display are huge, but it seems most people do not think the same, given the small resonance of the Nubia Z20. The device is equipped with two displays: a traditional panel on the front and a smaller OLED panel on the back. Thanks to the secondary display it is easier to use the smartphone with one hand, you can save battery due to the lower resolution and you can even use the rear cameras as selfie cameras. Indeed, this device does not even pack a front camera in order to provide a truly full-screen experience. But it was incredibly nice rear cameras with a 48 MP main sensor (with OIS!), a telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and a 16 MP ultrawide sensor. Its affordable price, the Snapdragon 855+ SoC and its big battery are contributing to making its value for money incredible, yet the public did not seem to appreciate it that much.
The Motorola Razr launched last month as the first smartphone with a vertically folding display but it is yet to go on sale. The $1499 phone was originally scheduled to be available for preorder on December 26 and begin shipping to users on January 9. Unfortunately, that will not be happening.
Motorola has put out a statement just a few days before the pre-order begins that it is adjusting the presale and launch timing. It cited the high demand for the device as the reason which it said: “has quickly outgrown supply predictions”.
Motorola Razr
No new date has been announced yet but Motorola said in the press statement that they “do not anticipate a significant shift from our original availability timeline”.
While we do not want to doubt the company’s reason for postponing the device, having enough stock so everyone can get a unit when they want to purchase one is important. For a high profile device, we certainly do not expect Motorola to run a flash sale as is the tradition of some manufacturers such as Xiaomi.
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.
When it comes to smartphone design, the current trends are notches, punch holes or “full-screen”. For those who adopt the third type of design, they usually go with a slider design as is the case with the Mi MIX 3; pop-up selfie camera just like the OnePlus 7 Pro, or flip cameras like that of the ASUS Zenfone 6. Other than ASUS, another manufacturer that adopted the flip camera design this year is Samsung with its Galaxy A80, though the phone uses a combination of a slide mechanism and a flip mechanism. A recently published patent has revealed Huawei may also adopt the flip camera design for a future device.
According to a report by LetsGoDigital, Huawei filed a patent for a device with a flip camera design similar to that of the Zenfone 6 on January 9, 2019. The patent was then published by the World Intellectual Property Office on December 17, 2019.
While the design is similar to that of the Zenfone 6′, Huawei’s own has three cameras instead of two. The triple camera setup will be able to flip 180° to double as the front-facing cameras. If the setup includes an ultrawide angle camera, owners will be able to take wide-angle selfies.
Last month, it was reported that Huawei may adopt a flip camera design for the P Smart Z 2020. The P Smart Z that was announced this year has a pop-up selfie camera, so a switch to flip cameras for its successor makes sense.
If the P Smart Z 2020 launches next year with flip cameras, it won’t be Huawei’s first device to adopt the design. That record is held by the 2015 Huawei Shot X which is also known as the Honor 7i.
Samsung announced the Galaxy Buds this year along with the Galaxy S10 series. And those who pre-ordered any of the Galaxy S10 phones got a free pair of Galaxy Buds along with their order. It appears we will be getting a successor next year called the Galaxy Buds+ but it won’t look different from the original.
Images of the Galaxy Buds+ were found in the latest version of the Samsung SmartThings app by the folks at XDA Developers. The version number of the new app is 1.7.41-25 and a breakdown of the app revealed animations for a product called “budsplus”.
The animations show the earbuds in a white case identical to that of the Galaxy Buds, confirming that the design of the Galaxy Buds+ will remain unchanged. Other than the animations, no other info about the buds were revealed. Hopefully, more details will surface when it begins shipping to retailers.
Prior to this discovery, Evan Blass as well as the tech blog, SamMobile have reported there will be a new pair of wireless earbuds from Samsung. The Galaxy Buds+ should launch alongside the Galaxy S11 series next year but we can’t say if Samsung will once again include it as a free gift along with pre-orders.
2019 is coming to an end. It has been a year full of innovation in the whole technology sector, including smartphones. We saw a lot of revolutionary devices and technologies, as well as an impressive growth of very important brands. And we even started to gather information about the upcoming smartphones in 2020. This year leaves us with a lot of rumors and leaks about upcoming devices from the most important brands. That is why we decided to collect the most important pieces of info in a dedicated post. Here you will find the top upcoming smartphones in 2020 with everything we know about them. Obviously, the top only includes devices for which we already got some details. Note that a lot of info is only based on rumors, so take everything with a pinch of salt.
Best upcoming smartphones in 2020
OnePlus Concept One
OnePlus will hold a special event at CES 2020 (Consumer Electronics Show) which will kick off in Las Vegas on January 7 and will last until January 10. CEO Pete Lau revealed that we will see something special at the event. Later on, Pete Lau confirmed that the company will unveil a new concept smartphone at CES 2020. It will be the first OnePlus concept phone, indeed the company called it OnePlus Concept One. Unfortunately, we do not know anything about the new concept phone: the company did not release any detail. Usually, concept phones are very innovative, so expect something revolutionary. According to hypotheses, OnePlus may unveil its first foldable phone. But someone thinks the company will showcase either a midrange smartphone (it does not release one since the OnePlus X) or a pair of true wireless earphones. What is your opinion?
A few days ago Xiaomi officially announced the Redmi K30 and K30 5G. Unlike a lot of people thought, the new line-up did not include a flagship-class variant but only mid-rangers. Even the K30 5G which supports 5G connectivity is a mid-ranger since it is fueled by the Snapdragon 765G chipset (the first Qualcomm’s midrange chipset with 5G). But this does not mean that there will not be any flagship in the Redmi K30 series. According to the latest report by a known leakster, the Redmi K30 Pro will launch in March 2020 and it will be amazing. It will be powered by the newly-announced Snapdragon 865 chipset: Qualcomm’s flagship SoC which will be on a lot of 2020 flagships.
The chipset will offer an integrated 5G modem: Snapdragon X55 with the support of SA and NSA standards. Earlier rumors suggested that Redmi K30 Pro will have a 120 Hz refresh rate just like its vanilla version, as well as a 6.67-inch panel with a Full HD+ resolution and a punch-hole design. The camera department will include a Sony IMX686 sensor with a 64 MP resolution, supported by a 13 MP ultrawide lens, an 8 MP telephoto lens and a 2 MP depth sensor. The front camera housed in the punch hole is said to have a 32 MP sensor and a secondary ToF 3D sensor. Redmi K30 Pro is rumored to sport a 4500 mAh battery with the support to a 30W fast charging technology.
We talked about the possible arrival of the Redmi K30 Pro in March with a Snapdragon 865 chipset. But it looks like the Redmi K30 Pro will not be the first Xiaomi phone equipped with the Snapdragon 865. At the Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit Xiaomi’s co-founder Lin Bin announced that Xiaomi Mi 10 will be one of the first smartphones to be powered by the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform. And we also know that there will be a Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro as Lin Bin officially confirmed it as well. An alleged Xiaomi Mi 10 was recently certified by 3C with 30W fast charging and we know that it will debut with MIUI 11 based on Android 10 out of the box. We also expect it to come with a 108 MP main camera and 5G support. Other than that, nothing is known about the specifications of Xiaomi Mi 10 and 10 Pro.
Not only flagships: we had information even about an upcoming affordable smartphone coming in 2020. According to a report, Redmi 9 will be launched in early 2020 and it will debut initially in China, then it will expand to the Indian market later. The Redmi 9 is said to come with a 6.6-inch display and with a waterdrop notch. It seems it will be powered by the Helio G70 chipset by MediaTek: a toned down version of the Helio G90T found on the Redmi Note 8 Pro, but still providing high graphics performance. The SoC is expected to be paired with 4 GB of RAM and internal storage of 64 GB in the base configuration. Obviously, there will be other variants. Redmi 9 could debut with MIUI 11 and Android 10 out of the box just like the Xiaomi Mi 10.
OnePlus will officially launch the new OnePlus 8 series in Q2 2020, but a lot of detail about it already surfaced. For the first time after a year, the upcoming smartphone series will be composed of three models and it will include an affordable variant. Thanks to tipster we even know the rumored specs of the handsets. OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro are said to house 6.4 and 6.7-inch displays respectively, with S-AMOLED E3 technology and curved sides.
They will be dual punch-hole display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, resolutions up to Quad HD+ with 1440 x 3140 pixels, and more. OnePlus 8 Lite is rumored to come with a 6.4-inch S-AMOLED E2 display with a 90 Hz refresh rate and a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. All of them will include an in-display fingerprint scanner. OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro will be fueled by the Snapdragon 865 chipset paired with 8 or 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128 or 256 GB of UFS 3.0 internal storage depending on the chosen configuration. The OnePlus 8 Lite may pack a Dimensity 1000 SoC by MediaTek, 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128 or 256 GB of internal storage (UFS 3.0).
OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro may feature a dual front camera with a 32 MP sensor and a 3D TOF sensor, while the OnePlus 8 Lite is said to come with a 16 MP front camera. On the OnePlus 8 Lite, there may also be a triple camera with a 48 MP main sensor, a 16 MP ultrawide sensor and a 12 MP telephoto lens (OIS and EIS included). OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro are said to be even better camera phones with a 64 MP main sensor, a 20 MP ultrawide sensor, a 12 MP telephoto lens with the support to 5x optical zoom and a 3D TOF sensor (OIS and EIS included).
The battery may have a 4000 mAh capacity on the OnePlus 8 and 8 Lite, while OnePlus 8 Pro is said to pack a 4500 mAh battery with 35W fast charging. We should also see stereo speakers and glass backs with Gorilla Glass 5 and 6 protections, as well as a waterproof certification on the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro. Prices in China are rumored to start from about $528 for the OnePlus 8, $714 for the OnePlus 8 Pro and $428 for the OnePlus 8 Lite.
Just like every year, Samsung will unveil its main flagship line-up in Q1 2020, most likely in February. This year we are talking about the Samsung Galaxy S11 which may debut alongside a clamshell version of the Galaxy Fold. Samsung Galaxy S11 is rumored to sport a 108 MP sensor with 5x optical zoom and 9 in 1 pixel binning. We also expect it to come with a Snapdragon 865 chipset in the U.S. market and an Exynos 990 chipset in the European market, both with an integrated 5G modem. Samsung Galaxy S11 may scan up to two fingerprints simultaneously, its Plus version may pack a 5000 mAh battery manufactured by LG, and it should come with a punch hole placed at the center of the panel just like the Galaxy Note 10 series.
Oppo is planning the launch of a perfect flagship smartphone in 2020. It will be the successor of the Find X and it will be called Find X2. The company already confirmed that it will launch in Q1 2020. Among its main focuses, there will be an amazing display with a higher refresh rate than the previous generation (we expect 120 Hz), as well as a higher resolution (probably Quad HD). Oppo Find X2 will be powered by the Snapdragon 865 chipset and it will obviously support 5G networks thanks to a Snapdragon X55 integrated modem supporting sub-6GHz frequencies (but maybe not mmWave).
It might even come with a new in-display camera technology thanks to which the front camera will be really under the display and not in a punch hole. Oppo Find X2 will be one of the most amazing camera phones as it is tipped to come with Sony’s latest image sensor with all pixel omnidirectional PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus), as well as the new 2×2 on-chip lens (OCL) solution. The new lens will offer faster and more accurate autofocus for better performance even in low light conditions.
Alongside Xiaomi, even Realme is expected to release a mid-range series of smartphones with 5G support in Q1 2020 (January). The Realme X50 series will debut before the Chinese Spring Festival and it will include the brand’s first 5G smartphone. The device will probably be powered by the Snapdragon 765G chipset with an integrated Snapdragon X52 5G modem carrying the support to both SA and NSA 5G standards. It will be the main rival of the Redmi K30 5G.
According to rumors, Realme X50 will sport a 6.44-inch AMOLED display and a quad rear camera including a Sony IMX686 main sensor with a 64 MP resolution and secondary lens with 8, 2 and 2 MP resolutions. The battery may have a 4500 mAh capacity and support VOOC 4.0 Flash Charge technology. It is said to come with up to 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage, as well as ColorOS 7 based on Android 10 out of the box. The Realme X50 will also have a Youth Edition carrying a more affordable price. Obviously it will be a variant with a different chipset. The Realme X50 was supposed to go official this month, but now we know it will debut before January 26.
Despite the issues which came from the U.S. ban, Huawei will unveil the P40 series in Q1 2020 and it will even launch it in Europe. The CEO Richard Yu already confirmed that it will be released in March 2020. The Huawei P40 will come with a “never seen” design and improved camera department. It will not run HarmonyOS, which is the new Huawei’s operating system based on Android. It will be still based on Android and it will run EMUI based on Android 10. But it will land in Europe without Google services. Instead, it will pack Huawei Mobile Services.
Honor‘s MagicBook line of devices seem to be doing well, as the company plans to launch a brand new model on December 22. Just a month after the launch of the well received Honor MagicBook 14 and 15, the company is now touting a brand new Honor MagicBook Pro, and if that weren’t already enough, it’s going to come in a brand new blue option!
Honor announced that earlier today that the Honor MagicBook Pro Charm Starfish Blue is meant to spice up their line of simple silver laptops with a dash of bright blue. If you remember, this colour also made an appearance on this year’s Honor V30 series, and it’s actually the most popular colour. The use of an AG matte process gives it a premium finish.
Alongside the brand new Honor MagicBook Pro in all its blue glory, we’ll also be receiving updated versions of last month’s Honor MagicBook 14 and 15. They’ll be getting variant with more RAM, bringing the device from 8GB to 16GB. On top of that, the older devices will also be receiving the brand new blue finish, so there are more options for those too.
We can probably expect a pretty similar setup in terms of specs too. On the Honor MagicBook 14 and 15 we’ve got AMD‘s Ryzen 7 3700U processor along with Radeon RX Vega 10 graphics card. The device comes equipped with DDR4 dual-channel memory and it uses PCIe NVMe SSD for storage. The MagicBook Pro has 16″ display and will probably feature better specs, but we’ll have to wait for the December 22nd launch to really find out.
XIDU offered many great deals during the Black Friday shopping festival but they aren’t over yet as they are offering more for the Christmas sales until December 31st, with discounts up to 35% on XIDU Store.
XIDU PhilPad
The PhilPad is a business-class Tablet PC designed for those who need a powerful and mobile tool for daily work, and comes with a 2K (2560×1440) display and is powered by Intel’s Atom x7-E3950 CPU backed by 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage that can be expanded up to 256GB more. It’s just 0.4″ thick and the rest of the specs include a 5000mAh/7.4V battery, 1 x USB Type-C, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x Microphone Jack, 1 x MicroSD card slot, and Dual-band 2.4GHz/5.0GHz WiFi. The promotion bundles the detachable keyboard and stylus, a licensed Windows 10 operating system, a powerful power supply for fast charging and a branded protective film on the display. You can get it here.
XIDU PhilBook Max
The PhilBook Max features a beautiful and smart design with a 360° flexible hinge that allows you to turn the laptop into a tablet in seconds taking advantage of the touchscreen. It is powered by the Intel E3950 4-core CPU backed by 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD. It also features a backlit keyboard as well as 1 x Mini HDMI, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x Microphone Jack, 1 x Bluetooth 4.2, 1 x MicroSD card slot, 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n, and a webcam.
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PhilBook Max comes with narrow screen bezels that make the 10-point multitouch 14.1″ look beautiful. The provider of the FHD IPS panel is JDI, the famous display panel manufacturer for many big brands. As for the backlit keyboard, it is ideal for working in low-light conditions. You can find it here.
If you are looking for a portable, versatile and -above all- budget product with professional characteristics, Philpad and Philbook Max should be among your choices. And if you would want to check out more XIDU products, they also offer discounts up to 35% for all laptop models. Offers are also available on Amazon US, UK, FR, ES, and IT stores as well as on Aliexpress.
Xiaomi quietly launched the Xiaomi Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Set earlier today, which requires no driver and is plug-and-play. It’s a simple, affordable set of computer peripherals, with no frills added. These are purely function over form, there are no extras on board this time.
If you couldn’t tell from the straightforward and business-like design, the primary audience of the Xiaomi Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Set are mainstream office users. It adopts a slim and lightweight design, supports 2.4GHz wireless connection, supports power-saving sleep technology, and meets the general needs of most office users.
The keyboard uses a 104 full-size key layout, including full sets of function keys, keypads, and arrow keys. The keyboard is equipped with Fn composite keys, and the combination keys of Fn + F1- ~ F12 support common shortcut key functions such as volume, media, mute, and song cut. There are four indicator lights in the upper right corner of the keyboard for caps lock, number lock and the power indicator.
The arc design of the keycap finger grooves is clear and sharp, and the laser-engraved characters are built to last and won’t wear out easily. The bottom of the keyboard has a 6 ° natural incline design, making it more comfortable for users and less fatigue over longer typing sessions.
The mouse also adopts the simple lightweight design, at only 60 grams. It’s a regular sized mouse in terms of size, with a comfortable grip and an ambidextrous design. The mouse is equipped with the a 1000DPI optical sensor, nothing too crazy. It is powered by a AAA battery, and the receiver is stored on the bottom of the mouse.
Indiegogo, the crowdfunding platform, has helped hundreds of innovative and smart products to enter the market over the years. Sometimes, all it takes is a clever and original idea and the people that participate in crowdfunding platforms will take care of the budget. This is the case with Orsen and the Airfresh snorkel mask that not only ensures clean and unobstructed airflow but also integrates a walkie-talkie so that you can communicate with your diving partner underwater!
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!
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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. Lastly, 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. The campaign will start soon, you can go ahead and subscribe on the Indiegogocampaign page now to get 40% when it kicks off.
Earlier today (20th December 2019), Huawei, the smartphone manufacturer, announced that its latest EMUI 10 system update has reached upwards of 10 million users. The number also spans across 33 different smartphone models from the company.
Huawei’s EMUI 10 reaching 10 million active users
The massive number arrives just a couple of weeks after the Chinese tech giant announced that its Android 10 based EMUI 10 custom skin was received by over 1 million users; showcasing the quick pace of the major update’s roll out. Initially, EMUI 10 debuted alongside Huawei Mate 30 series. It supported all the new upgrades and features which were present in most high end smartphone from Huawei and its subsidiary, Honor.
According to the official listing, over 30 smartphone models from the company are set to receive the update. These are also further divided into different batches, based on which group would receive the update first. Currently, the first wave of Huawei handsets to receive the update include the P30, P30 Pro, Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro and Mate 20 X and Mate 20 Porsche Edition.
The true wireless earbuds market has grown quite significantly this year. Most smartphone manufacturers have announced at least one TWS earbuds in 2019 and a lot more are coming our way in the next few months. Realme also joined this party a few days back and the company is targeting the affordable segment of the market with its Realme Buds Air, which is priced competitively at Rs. 3999 (~$56). Like a lot of TWS earbuds, the Realme Buds Air takes its inspiration from the best selling Apple AirPods series. Today, we take a quick look at how closely the Buds Air resemble the AirPods 2.
I would like to start this article by saying that the Realme Buds Air is no way an AirPods clone. While it definitely takes its inspiration from the best in the industry, there are a lot of differences to set it apart from the AirPods 2. The earbuds come in three different colors which include white, black, and yellow. We’ve got the white one for review, which is the ideal color for this comparison.
Apple AirPods 2 (L) vs Realme Buds Air (R)
Realme Buds Air vs Apple AirPods 2: Earbuds
Like every other TWS earbuds in the market, the Realme Buds Air package consists of two parts – the two earbuds (L & R) and the charging case. The earbuds come very close to mimicking the AirPods’ design but it’s not an exact clone.
The Realme Buds Air feature relatively round and large heads in comparison to the slightly smaller, oval shape of the AirPods. So despite having a similar sensor layout as the AirPods, it’s very easy to distinguish between the two based on the shapes alone. Another big differentiator for the Buds Air is the absence of the mesh at the back.
Apple AirPods 2 (L) vs Realme Buds Air (R)
While both the earbuds feature a similarly sized stem, they have significantly different charging connectors. The AirPods feature a metal round connector at the bottom of the earbuds while the Realme Buds Air feature an open design with two connector pins at the bottom. The microphones are located at the back of the stem on both the models.
When it comes to the charging case, the similarities between the two earbuds end. The Realme Buds Air comes with a much more compact and rounder charging case. When you keep the two cases side by side, you can see that the AirPods 2 case is slightly longer and thinner than the Realme one. To be honest, the AirPods case looks a bit more refined than what Realme offers but that’s expected given the huge price difference.
Apple AirPods 2 (L) vs Realme Buds Air (R)
The Realme Buds Air charging case features a pairing button on the front with an LED light. On the other hand, the AirPods 2 case features the button at the back with the text: Designed by Apple California. Similarly, the Realme case features the text: Designed by Realme on its back. But I wish Realme had implemented a better design for opening the case. The back design looks pretty cheap.
Apple AirPods 2 (L) vs Realme Buds Air (R)
Apple AirPods 2 (L) vs Realme Buds Air (R)
You can charge the Realme case with a USB-C port at the bottom, while the AirPods 2 case takes in a lightning connector.
While there are some similarities between the Realme Buds Air and the AirPods 2, the former can really stand up on its own as competitive TWS earbuds in its price segment (Rs. 3999 on Flipkart). We have been testing them for the past few days and our first impressions have been quite positive. Wait for our full review of the Realme Buds Air in the next couple of days.
Huawei Freebuds 3 vs Airpods Pro
Till then, you can check out our latest review of the Huawei Freebuds 3 where we pit it against the industry leader: AirPods Pro. We feel the Freebuds 3 with active noise canceling sounds amazing for a wireless headphone and is a competitive alternative to the AirPods Pro that’s way more expensive.
Samsung launched the Galaxy A51 alongside the Galaxy A71 at an event in Vietnam earlier this month. The Galaxy A51 is expected to make its India debut soon as the launch page of the smartphone just went live on Samsung India’s official website. The support page just mentions the model number of the device (SM-A515F/DSN) but does not reveal information about a tentative launch date in India.
Samsung Galaxy A51 Specifications and Features
The Samsung Galaxy A51 flaunts a 6.5-inch full-HD+ display with an Infinity-O panel and a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels. It draws power from a 2.3GHz Exynos 9611 SoC with Mali-G72 GPU, along with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, which is further expandable up to 512GB with a microSD card.
In terms of camera specifications, the Galaxy A51 flaunts a 48-megapixel primary sensor with a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. The smartphone features a 32-megapixel sensor upfront. The smartphone draws power from a 4,000 mAh battery with 15W fast charge support, and runs on Android 10-based One UI 2.0.
The smartphone features an in-display fingerprint scanner and flaunts Dolby Atmos audio support. Connectivity options include dual SIM 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth v5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, USB Type-C, GPS, and GLONASS. The device measures 158.5 x 73.6 x 7.9 mm and weighs 172 grams.
The Galaxy A51 is scheduled to go on sale in Vietnam on Dec. 27 with a price tag of 7,990,000 VND (~$344). It is likely that the smartphone will arrive in India closer to the date. What remains to be seen is whether Samsung discontinues the Galaxy A50 in India, as the A51 is expected to fall within the same price bracket. Also, at present there is no word on the arrival ofGalaxy A71 in India.
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