Xiaomi has begun rolling out the latest MIUI feature, that being their new Xiao AI curriculum calendar. It’s designed for teachers, students and educators and essentially functions as a timetable and planner. You can list down your courses, classes and even your teacher’s information for any given day. It’s a surprisingly well designed implementation.
On top of these, the Xiao AI curriculum calendar will soon support the sharing function. With a simple press of a button, you can share a pre-planned timetable with entire groups, making things much simpler to plan. On top of that, everyone can import your shared timetable, and the information changes on it will automatically import with the original.
It will also sync with Xiaomi‘s standard MIUI calendar and Negative Screen. Further support and integration with other MIUI apps are coming in the future. In addition to Xiaomi phones, any Xiao Ai students, Xiao Ai teachers, Xiao Ai speakers and even non-Xiaomi phones will eventually get support for the app once it’s released publicly.
It’s essentially a student oriented calendar, where you can jot down notes for any given day. It’s a lot more robust and impressive than your standard calendar app. It has a solid lineup of features, and we’re excited to see how they turn out in day-to-day use. For now, it’s only rolling out in China, we can’t wait to see this feature come to the global devices.
Apple Watch series is arguably the number one smartwatch on sale today but there are several strong contenders hoping to beat Apple in the segment. Apple isn’t resting on its hoars as it strives to maintain its lead in the wearable segment. A recently published Apple patent spotted by Patently Apple has given us a hint of what Apple has got in the works.
The patents totalling 46 were published in mid-December before the US Patent and Trademark Office. One of the patents details a new type of Digital Crown for a future Apple Watch. It describes a ‘capacitive gap sensor ring for an input device’ which refers to a way in which the Apple Watch’s Digital Crown could be moved like a joystick, as well as being rotated and pushed. The function was first detailed in an Apple patent from 2016, so the joystick idea has been floating around the company’s design studio for a while now. The newly updated patent expands on this, adding that the new crown can “detect inward translation movement of the cap towards the housing”.
Thus, there is a possibility that future versions of Apple Watch could feature a Digital Crown which moves in more directions. It could even debut on the Watch Series 6 which is expected in September 2020.
Another Apple Watch patent spotted by Patently Apple is that of straps containing new sensors and the ability to adjust themselves. The newly published patent describes a system where the strap automatically tightens when running a specific health-monitoring app. This would push the Watch up against the wearer’s skin, ensuring a good contact for taking medical data, like a heart rate or ECG. We wonder if this would also help Apple record more data, not yet captured by current Watches. Glucose monitoring has long been a rumoured future feature of Apple’s wearable.
We must point out that the new patents may not be used on Apple’s phones anytime soon but they give us an idea of where the smartwatch future design will look like.
The Elon Musk owned automobile brand, Tesla, has been unaffected by the recent slump in the Chinese car market. Rather, the company just saw a soar in registration numbers in the month of November.
According to a new report, the Tesla Model S maker is seeing notable growth in momentum as its registrations rose 14 folds in China in November 2019. The number of Tesla vehicles registered climbed to a five month high of 5,597 vehicles last month. This compared to 393 in November 2018 shows a significant year on year growth, according to China Automotive Information Net (CAIN).
Tesla Model S
In 2019, Tesla saw a very bumpy ride in the Chinese market. One of the primary reasons for this is undoubtedly the US-China trade disputes. According to data illustrations, we can see the company facing a slow initial start (January and February) which was followed by a large increase in registrations (in March). From then on, the automobile brand went through various ups and downs until the month of November 2019. It is speculated that fears regarding China raising tariffs on US made vehicles in December also heped boost sales a month prior.
Tesla EVs Registrations report for 2019 showing uneven patterns (Via CAIN)
China is currently the largest automobile (cars) market in the world; and through its extension, the leading title for the largest EV (Electric Vehicles) market also belongs to the Southeast Asian country. However, the Chinese electric car market has been on a decline since the past 5 months; thus, it paints an optimistic picture of the market when a brand sees healthy growth.
As of right now, Tesla’s success in the country depends on the company’s new Shanghai plant. This would the first factory set up outside of America, allowing for lower prices and bolster demands of its electric cars in the region. China is a key market for Tesla as the country accounts for nearly half of the world’s electric vehicle sales and is the biggest market for the company after the US. Notably, Tesla is also considering cutting prices of its Chinese built cars in 2020 to better capture the market.
Tesla Logo
In 2018, Tesla and other US based brands were charged with a 25 percent tariff which was rolled back at the start of 2019; after the US and China arrived closer to a trade agreement. Lastly, the year 2020 will be very important for Tesla and the EV industry, which is expected to boom in the arriving years.
LG finally brought the LG G8X ThinQ in India after launching the smartphone back in September during the IFA event in Berlin. The Snapdragon 855 powered device features powerful hardware, along with improved user interface, cleaner icons, and a revamped design. The highlight of the device is its dual-screen layout that allow users to use two apps simultaneously on two different screens.
LG G8X ThinQ Specifications and Features
The LG G8X ThinQ flaunts a 6.4-inch FullVision OLED HD+ display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. LG is offering a dual-screen accessory that can be attached to the G8X ThinQ smartphone. The display on the Dual Screen accessory flaunts an additional 2.1-inch monochrome OLED that allows users to view the date, time, notifications, and battery charge without having to view the primary display. LG’s new dual-screen setup uses a 360-degree Free Hinge that allows any viewing angle between 0 and 180 degrees, much like a laptop.
The smartphone draws power from an octa-core Snapdragon 855 SoC with an Adreno 640 GPU. It is paired with 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of storage, which is expandable up to 2TB with a microSD card.
The primary camera on the LG G8X ThinQ is a 12-megapixel lens with an aperture ratio of f/1.8, paired with a 13-megapixel ultra-wide lens with an aperture ratio of f/2.4. The camera module is complete with an LED flash. On the front, the LG G8X ThinQ sports a 32-megapixel lens with an aperture rating of f/1.9.
It is the LG phone to feature an in-display fingerprint scanner. The smartphone draws power from a 4,000 mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support. The device runs on Android 9.0 Pie and is upgradable to Android 10. The handset features a revamped version of the LG UX design. Additional tabs such as call logs, dial, and contacts have been moved to the bottom of the screen to ease one-hand usage.
Connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, GPS, Bluetooth v5.0, NFC, 3.5mm AUX port, and USB Type-C. The two 1.2W speakers on the ThinQ flaunts 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC-tuned by Meridian Audio. The microphone volume automatically turns up when recording videos, ensuring the most captivating ASMR audio experience. Lastly, the phone comes with MIL-STD 810G and IP68 rated chassis.
LG G8X ThinQ Price and Availability
The LG G8X ThinQ is priced at Rs. 49,999 (~$703). The pricing includes the secondary display. The device will be available at retail stores starting Dec. 21. It currently comes in an Aurora Black color.
Commenting during launch, Advait Vaidya, Business Head of Mobile Division at LG Electronics Private Limited said “We are thrilled to introduce the dual-screen LG G8X ThinQ to our customers. The dual-screen setup allows users to run two apps in parallel, making multitasking an effortless experience. I am sure users will be excited to get their hands on the G8X ThinQ. We continue to expand our horizons in the field of technology and provide our patrons with the best user experience”.
Established in 2013, VapeOnly is an e-cig original brand vendor and manufacturer that have been focusing on e-cigarette products for over three years. The Shenzhen-based electronic cigarette manufacturer has come up with a new product dubbed the Mind Pod Pro Kit!
Still riding high on the success of the vPipe Mini and other e-pipes, VapeOnly has released an All-in-One device that offers three output modes to suit the fancies of both MTL, as well as DL vapers. Before we dive into more details, let us take a gander at what do you get with this kit.
Unboxing the VapeOnly Mind Pro Kit
Encased in plastic packaging, the VapeOnly Mind Pro Kit comprises the following items:
The Mind Mod
Mind Pod (with pre-installed 1.2ohm coil)
Spare Coil (0.6ohm)
Charging cable (Type-C)
User Manual
Warranty Card
VapeOnly Mind Pro Build Quality & Design
The Mind Pod Pro Kit is an extremely measuring just 16mm, and compact with dimensions of 96.6 mm, 46.6 mm, brand-new starter kit. The device comprises a regulated mod backed by a robust 1500mAh built-in battery. The front portion features a small OLED screen.
One side of the device houses the ‘up’ and ‘down’ buttons that enable us to switch between three modes that include simple, power (5-36W) and voltage mode. The Mind Pro mod is capable of reaching of the maximum output power of 36W.
The simplistic 0.91-inches OLED screen shows all the information that you need to see. For instance, it displays the battery life, wattage/voltage, ohm reader and puff timer. Placed at the bottom, the type-C port can fully charge the battery in just 45 minutes.
Made using high-quality zinc alloy, the VapeOnly Mind Pro comes in four plain color options including matt black, space gray, matt red, and knight blue. While the kit adopts quite a simple design, it is very effective.
The Mind Pro Pod
The pod portion offers a juice capacity of 2.7ml and it is refillable from the top. The filling port can be closed with its screwable lid, which is something I personally didn’t like as you can easily lose it. However, I give its uber-cool design a 10/10. A thin proprietary drip tip is placed just next to this lid.
There is a small window on the Mind Pow that allows you to check the liquid level from the outside. This pod is compatible with replaceable coils. According to my knowledge, VapeOnly will be offering three different types of coils for this pod i.e. 0.4, 0.6 and 1.2 ohms, which makes it perfect for MTL and restricted DL vaping.
Thanks to the spring-lock atomizer design it adopts, the installation and removal process is quite easy. The Mind Pro offers adjustable airflow so that users can effortlessly switch between MTL and restricted DL.
First Thoughts
Although very simple, the VapeOnly Mind is an effective starter kit that offers a few customization options as well. Furthermore, the VapeOnly Mind 36W Pod Pro kit is ideal for those starting with an MTL vaping and eventually plan to move to DL experience for more vapor production.
Those not pleased with a simple pod and looking for additional customization options might want to check out the VapeOnly Mind Pro.
Huawei had launched the Huawei P20, P20 Pro and P20 Lite smartphones at the beginning of the year 2018. In June this year, the Chinese manufacturer unveiled the Huawei P20 Lite (2020) as the successor of the original P20 Lite. Fresh information suggests that the company will be using the same strategy for the P30 series. The Huawei P30, P30 Pro and P30 Lite phones were made official at the beginning of 2019. A new report from MySmartPrice reveals that the Chinese firm will be launching the Huawei P30 Lite (2020) phone in the coming year. The publication has revealed the pricing and color variants of the smartphone.
Huawei P30 Lite (2020) Price (Rumored)
The Huawei P30 Lite (2020) is expected to arrive in the European markets for 349 euros (~$388). The phone may arrive in color edition such as Blue and Breathing Crystal. There is no word on the availability of the smartphone. Probably, it could be one of the first phones from Huawei to debut in 2020.
The Huawei P30 Lite has a waterdrop notch display of 6.15 inches. The IPS LCD display produces full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2312 pixels. The Kirin 710 SoC is present under the hood of the smartphone along with 4 GB / 6 GB of RAM. The phone offers an internal storage of 128 GB. There is a shared SIM slot on the device for adding a microSD card.
The P30 Lite is available in two variants in different markets. One variant comes with a 24-megapixel selfie camera and a 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (depth) triple rear cameras. The second variant has a 32-megapixel selfie shooter and it has a 24-megapixel + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (depth) triple rear cameras.
The Huawei P30 Lite has a 3,340mAh battery that offers 18W fast charging. It has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The EMUI 9.1 based Android 9 Pie OS comes preloaded on the device. The phone comes in color edition such as Peacock Blue, Midnight Black and Pearl White.
Apple dominated the smartphone market by capturing 66% of industry profits and 32% of total handset revenue in Q3 2019. The latest report from Counterpoint Research comes at a time when overall handset sales declined by 11% YoY to $12 billion due to the entry of numerous mid-range smartphones, and a combination of other factors. Among the major OEMs, Huawei and Samsung were the only ones able to increase their YoY revenue in 2019.
“Apple loyalists in Japan, the EU, and the US ensure that the company still operate at profit levels that other manufacturers only wish for”, revealed Counterpoint research analyst Karn Chauhan. Based on its current form, Apple is likely to maintain a steady lead of revenue inflow in the next few years. “With the holiday season right around the corner, Apple’s profits will only increase as the new iPhone lineup gains traction with the market,” Chauhan added.
A major factor contributing to the general fall in smartphone sales is the increased average life cycle of premium smartphones. Customers are yet to find a reason to upgrade, considering no major hardware changes recently. The situation is likely to improve with the rapid introduction of the 5G bandwidth. Samsung comes in second with a decent 17% share of the revenue, thanks to the Galaxy A-Series and Note 10 sales picking up.
In recent times, Chinese OEMs have introduced budget smartphones with top-end hardware, which are quite popular with customers. Chinese manufacturers have the luxury of operating at slim profit margins, helping them penetrate the global market. A few Chinese OEMs that have been following this strategy for the past couple of years, and developed a strong foothold outside the domestic market, have begun monetizing their user base by introducing financial services, and more.
However, the Chinese firms are finding it difficult to increase the retail price of smartphones due to the average customer holding on to existing devices for a longer duration. The only way out of the sticky situation is the introduction of 5G. Most of the major OEMs have already begun preparations in the wake of 5G commercialization. Perhaps the best demonstration of this strategy is the big four Chinese firms’- Huawei, Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo– aggressively working on implementing the 5G spectrum to increase the MSRP on upcoming smartphones. However, with rising equipment costs, profit margins might not rise as expected.
Back in 2016, Apple launched its iPhone 7 series flagship smartphone. While many were excited about the upgrades and new features, one particular function went under most headlines. With iOS 7 the Cupertino-based company shipped smartphones with Activation Lock which made iPhone a lot more secure than before. This small function was a welcomed feature that discouraged thievery against Apple smartphones. Unfortunately, it is also why thousands of iPhones end up in junk and being scrapped for parts.
Apple’s iPhone 7
Although the new feature functions as a great way to secure one’s iPhone it is also the primary reason why a lot of iPhones end up being useless and in the junkyard. Ideally, the function works best when owners use the Find My app which immediately locks the iPhone. The lock can only be disabled once the Apple ID and password of the owner has been input; failing this, the device is nothing more than a fancy paperweight.
Apple’s Find My iPhone App
According to the renowned hardware repair specialist iFixit, thousands of perfectly functioning iPhones have to be shredded and scrapped for parts every month instead of being refurbished. Many iPhone users are unaware of disabling the Activation Lock and properly wiping their Find My app details on their handsets. So when they upgrade to a new smartphone or just getting rid of their older iPhone, the device becomes useless as it is inaccessible since Find My app is a permanent lock if the iPhone is not wiped clean and reset.
Peter Schindler, founder and owner of the Wireless Alliance, a Colarado based electronics recycler and refurbisher, stated that he receives anywhere 4000 to 6000 locked iPhones every month. These devices can still be easily refurbished and put back into circulation but “have to get parted out or scrapped” due to the anti-theft feature.
iFixit iPhone 7 Breakdown
Notably, Schindler stated to iFixit that Apple should implement a bypass that “would allow certified recyclers and refurbishers to unlock donated devices if they’re not reported lost or stolen.” This would be great for many reasons, the foremost being environmental impacts since Apple is the third most popular smartphone brand currently in the market.
OnePlus took the covers off its OnePlus 7T series comprising the OnePlus 7T and the OnePlus 7T Pro earlier this year. As expected, both devices were well-received by OnePlus’ huge fanbase.
Taking the popularity into consideration, the Chinese smartphone maker is now offering the OnePlus 7T Pro for a lowered price through Gearbest. The 8GB RAM+256GB ROM 7T Pro variant would normally set you back $1008.40, but you can now get it for a lowered price of only $655.99 from Gearbest.
Moreover, you can extend this 35 percent discount by applying coupon code GBOP7TPRODEC at check out. The coupon enables you to get an extra $12 off by reducing the original asking price of the OnePlus 7T Pro to just $643.99 even before you place your order.
An absolute steal at this price, the OnePlus 7T Pro phablet sports a 6.67 inch AMOLED display with 3120 x 1440 pixels resolution. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 Plus processor and packs an Adreno 640 GPU under the hood.
In the photography department, the OnePlus 7T Pro houses a quad-camera setup comprising 48.0MP+8.0MP+16.0MP sensors at the back. Upfront, there’s a 16.0MP selfie shooter. Furthermore, the phablet runs OxygenOS and is backed by a 4085mAh battery.
You can follow this link to check out more details about the OnePlus 7T Pro and grab the discount, which is valid for the blue color option. With over a whopping 1000 pieces sold at the time of writing, the promo is slated to end ten days.
Besides launching the OPPO A91 phone, OPPO has also unveiled the OPPO A8 smartphone in China. The OPPO A8 is a budget-friendly phone that comes with a tall aspect ratio screen, a big-sized battery and a large native storage. The smartphone has arrived in China with an attractive price tag of 1,199 Yuan (~$171).
OPPO A8 Specifications and Features
The polycarbonate bodied OPPO A8 phone comes with a 6.5-inch IPS LCD display with waterdrop notch. The phone delivers an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels. There is an eye protection mode that filter the harmful blue light. According to OPPO, the A8 offers a screen-to-body ratio of 89 percent.
The Helio P35 chipset is present under the hood of the OPPO A8. The SoC is assisted by 4 GB of RAM. The budget phone offers a massive native storage of 128 GB. For more storage, the phone features a microSD card slot. The smartphone boots to ColorOS 6.1 based Android 9 Pie OS. It tags along the Breeno smart assistant. It is backed by a 4,230mAh battery that promises 14 hours of online video watching and 7 hours of online gaming.
The display notch is fitted with an 8-megapixel selfie shooter. The rear side of the smartphone has a LED flash enabled triple camera setup that includes a main lens of 12-megapixel. It is coupled with a 2-megapixel macro lens and a 2-megapixel depth lens. The phone comes with connectivity features like dual-SIM support, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, microUSB 2.0 and 3.5mm audio jack. Lastly, it features a rear-facing fingerprint reader.
OPPO A8 Price and Release Date
The OPPO A8 has been introduced in China with a price tag of 1,199 Yuan (~$171). Azure and Secret Night Black are the two color options available for OPPO A8 buyers in China. Buyers can now register for the smartphone through the OPPOShop.cn and other Chinese retailer sites. The smartphone is scheduled to go on sale on Dec. 26. There is no word on the availability of the OPPO A8 phone outside of the home market.
OPPO has discreetly launched the OPPO A91 and OPPO A8 smartphones in China. Both phones are listed for reservations on the official OPPOShop.cn and other retailer sites in China. Compared to OPPO A8, the A91 is an advanced phone as it comes with a full HD+ display, an in-screen fingerprint reader, quad rear cameras and fast charging technology.
OPPO A91 Specifications and Features
The OPPO A91 is a 7.9mm thick device that weighs 172 grams despite housing a 4,025mAh battery. The phone is fitted with a 6.4-inch AMOLED display that offers full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and 20:9 aspect ratio. The display offers features like eye protection mode, DC dimming 2.0 and 3rd generation in-screen fingerprint sensor. It delivers a screen space of 90.7 percent.
The MediaTek Helio P70 chipset along with 8 GB of RAM powers the phone. The device offers users with an internal space of 128 GB. For more storage, users can add a microSD card to the phone.
The 4,025mAh battery of the OPPO A91 is coupled with VOOC 4.0 fast charging. The company claims it takes only 30 minutes for the phone to gain 50 percent battery power through 30W charging tech. The ColorOS 6.1 based Android 9 Pie OS runs on the OPPO A91 smartphone. For enhanced gaming experience, the phone comes with Game Boost 2.0.
The display notch is the home for the OPPO A91’s 16-megapixel selfie camera. The back panel of the phone features a quad camera system that has a 48-megapixel main lens, a 119-degree ultrawide lens of 8-megapixel, a 2-megapixel macro lens and a 2-megapixel. The quad cameras can capture stabilized vides, better portrait shots at night and it comes with AI video repair feature that enhances the video while recording. For better portrait shots, the OPPO A91 offers users with Portrait HDR that enhances the backlight while shooting selfies. The usual connectivity features like dual-SIM support, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, USB-C and 3.5mm audio jack are also available on the OPPO A91.
OPPO A91 Price and Release Date
The OPPO A91 reservations have started in China. It is priced at 1,999 Yuan (~$285) and it comes in Red, Black and Blue color options. The phone will be available for purchase for the first time from Dec. 26 in China. There is no word on its availability outside of China.
What’s your opinion on the mid-range OPPO A91? Share us your views by posting your comments below.
Vivo has discreetly launched the Vivo Y11 budget smartphone in India. It is the same Vivo Y11 phone that the company had launched in Vietnam a couple of months earlier. The highlights of the Y11 include a tall aspect ratio display, a dual-camera setup and a massive battery. Also, it carries an budget-friendly price tag.
Vivo Y11 Specifications and Features
The Vivo Y11 flaunts a 6.35-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 1544 x 720 pixels. The device draws power from an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 SoC with Adreno 505 GPU and flaunts 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. The storage is further expandable via a microSD card.
The Vivo Y11 smartphone draws power from a mammoth 5,000mAh battery. In terms of optics, the Vivo Y11 features a 12-megapixel primary sensor at the rear with an aperture ratio of f/2.2, along with a 2-megapixel sensor with an aperture ratio of f/2.4. The setup is coupled with an LED flash. The smartphone flaunts an 8-megapixel lens at the front, with an aperture ratio of f/1.8. The phone is loaded with FunTouch OS based Android 9 Pie OS.
Connectivity options include dual SIM, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0, GPS, GLONASS, OTG, and micro USB. A fingerprint scanner is available on the rear shell of the device. The smartphone measures 159.43 x 76.77 x 8.92 mm and weighs 190.5 grams.
Vivo Y11 Price and Availability
Vivo launched the Vivo Y11 in India at a price point of Rs. 8,990 (~$126). The device will go on sale starting Dec. 21 and will be available across all Vivo dealerships in India. The Y11 will come in two color schemes, including Jade Green and Coral Red.
OnePlus, the smartphone manufacturer, had publicly announced the second data breach in two years back in November 2019. Since then, the company has promised to launch a new bug bounty program by the end of the year 2019. The move was made to bump up security measures and prevent future breaches. Now, the company has finally announced that its bug bounty program is live.
For users that find any bug or vulnerabilities in the systems, they can submit it on OnePlus’s official website that features a new bug report section. Users must login first and apparently, the company will be creating and updating a leaderboard of top contributors. The company will even feature the top three contributors on the bug bounty’s main page as well.
The first breach in OnePlus that caused credit card information being leaked for a number of users
In the about section of the bug bounty program, OnePlus promises to reward users that submit reports according to certain tiers.
The exact definition of the tiers are still uncertain, however, OnePlus states that the reward you may receive is, “determined based on vulnerabilities severity and actual business impact.” The company had previously announced that it would partner up with a world renowned security platform in December 2019. That is now confirmed to be the startup HackerOne.
The collaboration with HackerOne is starting as a pilot program which would see numerous select security researchers being invited to test against OnePlus’ systems. The company also mentioned that a public version of the same will be launched in 2020.
According to Richard Yu, the CEO of Consumer Business of Huawei, the global shipments for smartphones from Huawei will reach around 230 million by the end of 2019. The statement was made by the Senior Executive at an internal conference.
Back in 2018, the Chinese tech giant had its smartphone sales surpass the 200 million mark, reaching about 206 million units shipped in total. By the time 2018 ended, the President of Huawei, He Gang, mentioned that the global smartphone market was not in an optimal state, pointing at the company’s own figures. Thus, the President mentioned that Richard Yu’s expectations are high and estimated that the target for 2019 would be between 230 million to 250 million shipments.
Huawei’s Richard Yu
Earlier this year, Huawei faced complications with the US Government when its Commerce Department put the company under the Entity List which limited its operations in the country. This marked the smartphone maker as a national security threat with data security in mind and has since also faced similar accusations in European regions as well. Undoubtedly, all of these had a major hand to play in its overall global smartphone shipments.
Huawei had many obstacles on its way to achieving its yearly goals. Many key companies like Google, ARM, and more had to end their business ties with the Chinese company due to the US Government’s actions. So the fact that the company is still set on the preconceived speculations is a testament of its own efforts.
US-China Trade Disputes (with Huawei being caught in th crossfires)
Previously, Huawei announced that it had reached its goal 64 days in advance by selling more than 200 million smartphones by just 22nd October 2019. Thus, it is highly likely that the large 230 million shipments will be met by the end of this year. Notably, the shipments are also very likely to exceed Apple’s full year sales in 2019.
Huawei‘s cameras have been always been a highlight of their smartphones, and they’re always packed with fancy new features and technology. This time however, Tianfeng International analyst Ming Chi Guo has predicted that the upcoming Huawei P40 Pro will have a newly designed periscope telephoto lens, giving it 10x optical zoom.
This is a huge improvement over the Huawei P30 Pro’s periscope telephoto lens, which only managed 5x optical zoom, only managing 10x hybrid zoom.The report predicts that new Huawei models will mostly use these new periscope telephoto lenses, including the Huawei P40, high-end Nova devices, high-end Honor devices and the next Huawei Mate flagship.
Ming Chi Guo also states in the report that Huawei‘s high-end Huawei P40 Pro is expected to sell for 4,000 to 5,000 yuan ($570 – $713). He also estimates that the device will sell at least 9 million units shipped in 2020. Considering the Huawei P40 Pro leaks we’ve seen recently, we’re eager to find out just how much more impressive these cameras can get.
The Huawei P40 is confirmed to release in late March 2020. The news arrived after Richard Yu, CEO of the company’s consumer products division, stated the upcoming smartphones release date in an interview with the French press in Shenzhen, China. In the interview, Richard Yu stated that the device will run Huawei’s Mobile Services, which is speculated to be ready by the time the Huawei P40 is released.
Huawei finally brought out their new wireless earbuds, the Freebuds 3. It seems that Huawei is in good company as Apple released the AirPods Pro earlier. Both of them were targeting the feature of active noise reduction. Compared to the Apple AirPods series, the Huawei Freebuds series usually have a more competitive price. The new Freebuds 3 is no exception. Compared to the price of 249 USD, the Freebuds 3 costs around 197 USD, almost having the same price as AirPods 2, which surprisingly includes the new feature of active noise cancellation. Today we will bring a simple comparison between the Huawei Freebuds 3 and the Apple AirPods Pro.
Huawei Freebuds 3 vs Airpods Pro
Huawei Freebuds 3
Design
Both of them developed their appearance style with strong identification, which probably will become diverse references for the design of following wireless earbuds. It’s pretty hard to tell you which design is better. But out of my experience and use, compared to the ear-in design, the open-fit design of Huawei Freebuds 3 fits most people’s ears without causing any discomfort. Especially if you are looking for a pair of earbuds for extended wearing, it’s no doubt that the Huawei Freebuds 3 can provide you better wearing experience.
Considering the competitive price of the Freebuds 3, actually, it’s fair to compare it with the Apple AirPods 2. They both have great fit and share a similar wearing experience. But after thinking about the fact of active noise reduction, it’s not difficult to tell you that the Freebuds 3 looks like a more attractive option.
Sound
Besides the ear fit, there are several important dimensions like sound, noise reduction, conversation, and audio delay that needs to be considered when choosing the earbuds. Then you can match them with your personal usage case scenario. So how do they sound?
As wireless open-fit earbuds, the Freebuds 3 sound great. Or we would say it’s surprisingly good as we did not expect it too much. The good bass provides a better underlying depth to the sound, and the pleasant and rich mid-range reserves great detail of both instruments and vocals. Well, the high-pitch sounds a bit more piercing than the Apple AirPods Pro. Especially when you get closer to 100% volume, the sound would lose part of the bass and make highs distort slightly. So, we suggest you don’t listen on full volume on the Freebuds 3.
But the open-fit design here is really a mixed blessing. It does bring you great comfort, but meanwhile, has a great impact on the sound, especially when fitting into the different shapes of ears. We brought the Freebuds 3 to several testers and asked them about its fit. Most of them had pretty similar comments as us, but we still received complains about the bass performance. We think the reason here is that the open-fit design is not able to provide a perfect fit and different ear shapes will also contribute other variables to the actual listening experience. But as we open the noise reduction, it gets much better. Even so, Freebuds 3 is still one of the wireless earbuds with the best sound.
But please don’t overestimate them, after all, its one of the best sounding WIRELESS earbuds. If you are a hardcore audiophile, you probably would not think of the wireless earbuds anyway. To be honest, I feel the Freebuds 3 sound slightly better than the AirPods Pro.
Noise-canceling
You probably had a hard time imaging how the open-ear design of the Freebuds 3 brought active noise reduction. But given how good the isolation was on the AirPods Pro, we know now that tight-fit tips and a good noise canceling solution can do wonders even for the earbuds with an open ear design. On the Freebuds 3, there’s almost zero physical isolation. But after we test it, we found it’s better than what we had imagined. The Freebuds 3 offer up to 15dB of active noise cancellation. Through the detection of the microphones on each earbud, the Freebuds 3 create a counter, phase-inverted waveform to cancel out the noise. Although it’s not as effective as the AirPods Pro, you can definitely feel the difference with the noise-canceling turned on. Generally, it works well with constant low-frequency noise such as the hum of surrounding machines or drone of an engine. The testers reported that sometimes the consistent effect would be randomly interrupted by sudden noises, but it rarely occurred in our own daily tests.
But if you match the Freebuds 3 with Android phones, the latest AI life App could provide an adjustable strength of the noise canceling. And if you’re a Huawei device user, the Freebuds 3 can provides quite a wonderful experience with their latest official software supports, such as faster and more stable connections.
For the noise canceling, the open-fit design is not good for nothing. The benefit of the open-fit design here is that it can reduce the in-ear pressure that occurs to most noise-canceling earphones, though it does sacrifice the perfect noise canceling function. However, it does provide another decent noise-canceling option for those who cannot tolerate those big headsets or ear-in rivals.
Connection & water-proofing
The new Kirin A1 chip supporting Bluetooth 5.1 enables a short connection time at around 2 seconds on most phones. The isochronous dual-channel connection works well for the audio synchronizing of both earbuds. And it ensures 190ms maximum latency, which is pretty hard to detect during video play or gaming. In daily use, our testers were more likely to give it a high score. The Freebuds 3 are IPX4-certificated, which means that there is no need to worry about sweat or rain, but just make sure not to wash them or take them into the pool.
Battery & operation
As for the battery, the Huawei FreeBuds 3 offers 4 hours of endurance for a full-charge, and the charging case can provide another 16 hours of battery for the earbuds.
About its operation, a double tap on the left earbud switches the active noise canceling. A double-tap on the right one skips to the next track. And you can adjust what the double-tap gestures do from the AI-life APP. you can set them to play or pause media, or just to wake the voice assistant.
Conclusion
It’s no doubt that Freebuds 3 is a great choice for users who want a pair of full-function earbuds at a cheaper price tag. Before the release of the Freebuds 3, we were pretty sure that no one can challenge the dominant position of the AirPods Pro. But now, the Freebuds 3, like a brave and skillful warrior, is holding a sword and challenging the throne.
2019 has been a tough year for Huawei, but it successfully brought out several great product series, like the Huawei P30 series, Mate30 series, Matebook laptops and so on.
We believe in the near 5G future, Huawei has something strong planned for the coming years. And it’ll be a win for the customers who’ll have another great option to choose in multiple product categories in the market.
At the end of November, MediaTek had unveiled the 7nm Dimensity 1000 chipset that arrived with support for dual-mode 5G. A recent report on Digitimes had revealed that the Taiwanese chip maker will be launching another 5G chip on Dec. 25. A fresh report on the same publication states that MediaTek is aiming to unveil mmWave 5G SoC solutions in the second half of 2020.
There is an incredible demand for wireless data bandwidth because of which cellular operators are aiming to capitalize on other frequency bands for deploying new 5G wireless technologies. To be specific, the frequency spectrum between 24 GHz and 300GHz that offer large bandwidths and faster data rates are dubbed as mmWave (millimeter wave technology). While mmWave bands up extend up to 300 GHz, the bands ranging between 24 GHz and 1000 GHz that can support up to 2 GHz bandwidths will be used for 5G. The below shown image by Accton.com shows the allocation of frequency bands for sub-6 GHz and mmWave.
At present, the industry uses 26 GHz, 28 GHz and 39 GHz frequency bands for mmWave. The 28 GHz and 39 GHz bands being used and tested. The 26GHz spectrum will be supported in Africa and Asia. The recently announced Snapdragon 865 and Snapdragon 765/765G chipsets support sub-6 GHz and mmWave. The SD865 is equipped with X55 5G modem that can use of 200Mz of sub-6 and 800MHz of mmWave. On the other side, the SD765G/765 has the slower X52 5G modem that supports 100MHz of sub-6 and 400MHz of mmWave.
MediaTek will be announcing another sub-6 GHz 5G chip on Dec. 25. It will most likely be the Dimensity 1000L that has a model number of MT6885. The Dimensity 1000 and the upcoming 1000L lack support for mmWave.
MediaTek Dimensity 1000
The OPPO Reno3 that is scheduled to go official on Dec. 26 will be the first phone to feature it. The performance prowess of the Dimensity 1000L seems to be on par with the Snapdragon 765G that fuels the Reno3 Pro 5G. This has been revealed through Master Lu and Geekbench listings of both phones. Some of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy phones are rumored to feature the new 5G chipsets from MediaTek.
Social media giant Facebook, in an attempt to free itself from being dependent on other tech giants like Google, has reportedly started development of its own operating system. The development was first reported by The Information.
This means that in the future, hardware products from Facebook, which includes the likes of Oculus and Portal, could come running the company home-developed operating system, the report says citing Facebook executive Ficus Kirkpatrick.
According to the report, the operating system from Facebook, the name of which remains unknown, will be built from scratch. The project is being led by Mark Lucovsky, a former Microsoft engineer who co-authored the Windows NT operating system.
Its noteworthy that social media giant Facebook has not indicated when the said operating system (OS) might arrive or which products would use it first. This isn’t the first time Facebook has considered developing its own OS. Facebook once developed prototypes of a custom OS for Home, but ultimately decided to go ahead with Android.
It seems that the current version of the operating system that Facebook is working on is a part of the company’s larger effort to make itself self sufficient and reduce reliance on other companies.
Andrew Bosworth, Facebook’s head of augmented and virtual reality, told The Information: “We really want to make sure the next generation has space for us,” “We don’t think we can trust the marketplace or competitors to ensure that’s the case. And so we’re gonna do it ourselves.”
Along with its own operating system, Facebook is also developing a voice assistant similar to Apple‘s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. The company even approached Microsoft to license data from its Bing search engine to train the assistant.
The development of all these software products to power its hardwares will take place in Facebook’s new 770,000-square-foot campus being built in Burlingame, California, where the company is also developing other products, including AR Glasses.
Earlier this week, Realme had announced the Realme X2 smartphone in India. As scheduled, the handset will go on sale for the first time in the country at 12 PM (IST). The phone comes in three variants and it has a starting price of Rs. 16,999 (~$239). Here is all the information on its pricing, launch offers and specifications.
Realme X2 price and launch offers
The Realme X2’sv base model with 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage is priced at Rs. 16,999 (~$239). The 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage is the second variant and it costs Rs. 18,999 (~$267). The highest model with 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage is priced at Rs. 19,999 (~$281). Pearl White, Pearl Blue and Pearl Green are the three color variants of the Realme X2. cApart from Realme India’s online store, the phone can be purchased exclusively through Flipkart.
On Flipkart, ICICI credit or debit card users can avail Rs. 1,500 discount on the pricing on Realme X2. This offer is not available on Realme’s website. Up to 6 months of no cost EMI offer is available for all credit and debit card from other banks. During the first sale, 100 lucky customers will have a chance to win the smartphone for free.
On Realme’s website, Realme X2 buyers can avail 10 percent Supercash (up to Rs. 1,000), cashback of up to Rs. 500 from MobiKwik, Cashify Exchange offer and up to 6 months of no cost EMI from Bajaj FinServe. Jio benefits worth Rs. 11,500 is available for buyers of Realme X2 on Realme.com and Flipkart. Other offers that are available for Realme X2 buyers include 30 percent flat discount at Crocs (up to Rs. 500), flat Rs. 2000 or 20 percent discount at Zoomcar and Rs. 3,000 benefits on Cleartrip.
Realme X2 Specifications
Realme X2 has a 6.4-inch S-AMOLED display with full HD+ resolution support. The waterdrop notch screen that is embedded with an in-screen fingerprint reader produces full HD+ resolution. The notch houses a 32-megapixel selfie camera. On its rear, there is a 64-megapixel + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (macro) + 2-megapixel (depth) quad camera system.
The Snapdragon 730G octa-core processor fuels the smartphone. It is loaded with ColorOS 6 based Android 9 Pie OS. The phone houses a 4,000mAh battery that is coupled with 30W VOOC 4.0 fast charging.
True wireless earbuds are now mainstream and along with smartphone and audio products maker, wearable devices maker are also entering this space. Today, Xiaomi-backed Huami has announced its plan to launch a TWS earbuds.
The company has confirmed that Amazfit TWS Earbuds will get launched next month during Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020 in Las Vegas at the CES 2020 Amazfit Global New Product Launch Conference.
Huang Wang, CEO of Huami Technology, has revealed that along with the TWS Earbuds, the company will also bring a new category of products at the same launch event. He said: “Our vision is to build a global healthy ecology, so from this perspective I have made a lot of interesting explorations on the headset, such as equipped with a heart rate sensor, everyone can look forward to it. There are no shoes, but there will be products related to shoes.”
This confirms that the Amazfit TWS Earbuds will come equipped with heart rate sensor. The feature could come in handy for users who are into sports or similar high-energy activities. Further, it has been revealed that the device will also have sound insulation and noise reduction features.
As said, the company has also teased a new product category for the event which is said to have been designed for “sports and fitness enthusiasts, bringing a new kind of sports and lifestyle, helping users challenge themselves and push the limits.”
Huami Technology is among the world’s leading smart wearable devices maker and the company says that it is committed to offer health-related products with technology connection. In December this year, Huami announced that the company’s “end + core + cloud” strategy has been fully implemented.
The company has launched six different series of smartwatches under its Amazfit brand and has also launched “Huangshan No. 1” chipset which has now been mass-produced and comes equipped with many Amazfit Watches and fitness bands. Further, the company has also launched Midong Health VIP service.
Huami Technology has announced its Amazfit Global New Product Launch Conference with the theme of “Leap over Limits” at CES 2020. The event will take place on 7th January 2020 and more details about these products will be revealed there.
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UP NEXT: Realme Buds Air to launch in China alongside Realme X50 5G in China next month