Huawei is known to launch its phones under different names in different markets. There are multiple examples we have mentioned in the past, so we won’t list them again. A new leak from a source known for Huawei-related news has revealed the upcoming Huawei P40 Lite is a familiar device that has already launched.
The leakster who goes by @RODENT950 on Twitter posted a tweet today that said the Nova 6 SE which launched last week, is the same device as the Huawei P40 Lite.
He also includes a press render of the phone which shows the phone in black. This one of the color variants the Nova 6 SE is available in.
Huawei will most definitely announce the phone in other colors but we hope that the other colorways are different from that of the Nova 6 SE.
The Nova 6 SE has a 6.4-inch FHD+ LCD display with a punch hole at the top left corner. It is powered by the Kirin 810 processor and is paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
The primary rear camera is a 48MP sensor and it is paired with an 8MP ultrawide angle camera, a 2M macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. There is a 16MP sensor inside the hole in the display.
The Nova 6 SE also packs a 4200mAh battery with support for 40W fast charging. It has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, an audio jack, a USB Type-C port, and Dual-SIM support. Huawei ships the phone with EMUI 10 based on Android 10.
The above should be the same specs of the Huawei P40 Lite but there is a chance we may get more RAM and storage variants.
The Huawei P40 Lite is expected to launch before its siblings. However, the phone may ship without Google Services in markets outside China if Huawei is still banned by the time it launches.
OnePlus is rolling out a new update to the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro. The changelog for the new update says it brings November 2019’s security patch.
The new update which arrives as OxygenOS 10.0.3 also improves system stability and fixes some bugs. OnePlus says it is a staged roll-out, so not everyone gets it at the same time. It is also stated that using a VPN may not work since the roll-out is not based on regions but is random.
Oneplus 7 pro
A staged roll-out is done so that the manufacturer can confirm if there are no critical bugs. Once that has been done, then a wider roll-out is carried out. However, quite a number of folks do not like to wait which prompts them to find ways to get the update immediately.
The OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro were announced in May 2019. Both phones are powered by the Snapdragon 855 processor. However, their similarities do not go beyond that.
The OnePlus 7 Pro has a larger and sharper display with a 90Hz refresh rate and also has a pop-up selfie camera which means there is no notch or punch-hole. It also has triple rear cameras, a bigger battery, and a faster fast charge technology.
The OnePlus 7 has a display with a notch and a standard 60Hz refresh rate, dual rear cameras, a 3700mAh battery and support for 20W fast charge.
Xiaomi‘s ecological chain company Aqara has finally reveal when it would make its maiden entrance into the lucrative US market. The company has shared a couple of teasers on its official Twitter handle which shows the US launch is scheduled to hold on December 17. There won’t be any special event but the product will get an official listing on Amazon US on that day.
The teaser poster shows that the Aqara Smart Home Starter Kit will be among the first batch of gadgets to hit Amazon’s online store shelves. The starter kit is a bundle made up of the Aqara Hub, Aqara Smart Plug, Door and Window Sensor, Motion Sensor and Wireless Mini Switch. The company will also sell the Aqara Vibration Sensor, Flood/ Water leak sensor and Aqara Temperature and Humidity Sensor.
One interesting part of these products is that they are compatible with Apple HomeKit, while the Smart Plug and Aqara Hub are compatible with Google Assistant. In addition, the Aqara Hub, Motion Sensor, Humidity and Temperature Sensor, Door and Windows Sensor and Smart Plug are compatible with Alexa.
Aqara has got a whole lot of smart home gadgets as well as IoT kits and gateway hub. The products are mostly very popular as a result of their build quality, vital functionality and extremely affordable pricing.
Since the launch of the Redmi K30 yesterday, Redmi‘s GM Lu Weibing has been responding to inquiries by fans on some of the features they expected to be onboard the Redmi flagship. One of such inquiry seems to be on the lack of an LPDDR5 RAM on the flagship.
Responding, Lu Weibing stated that we’ll have to wait until the first quarter of 2020 to get a DDR5 RAM. He further stated that using the present generation of LPDDR4X memory in the 5G era was no longer feasible. This statement seems to suggest the K30 5G version will come with an LPDDR5 memory since it is billed to be released in Q1 2019. However, the Redmi K30 was announced with 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X1866MHz dual-channel memory. It also packs UFS 2.1 64GB/128GB/256GB flash memory.
Samsung Electronics announced the mass production of the industry’s first 12Gb (Gigabit) LPDDR5 mobile DRAM targeted at 5G and AI-powered flagships in July this year. The new 12Gb LPDDR5 DRAMs have an increased data rate of 5,500 megabits per second (Mb/s), which is 1.3 times LPDDR4X’s 4266 Mb/s data rate. This also means that a 12GB RAM package is able to transfer 44GB of data in a second. Samsung adds that the new chip consumes up to 30 percent less power than its predecessor, thanks to new circuit design.
The Galaxy Note 10 was expected to be the first model to feature the LPDDR5 DRAM but that did not happen. The Galaxy S11 may take that honour. n the same vein, we expect the Mi 10 flagship to be Xiaomi’s first LPDDR5 model if the Redmi K30 5G misses out on the technology.
Apple has started a wave of update rollouts for its iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS software platforms. These updates bring a lot of new updates and fixes across the Cupertino-based company’s product ecosystem. For the iPhone, iOS 13.3 has been rolled out while the iPad receives iPadOS 13.3. Alongside this, even the watchOS for Apple Watch and tvOS for its Apple TV received an update as well.
The New iOS 13.3 & iPadOS 13.3
Apple has rolled out updates for two of its most popular platforms, namely the iPhone and iPad, in just under a month. Previously, the company had freshly introduced iOS 13.2.3 and iPadOS 13.2.3. The new update also brings many bug fixes and performance optimizations but also adds new features to the devices as well.
iOS 13.3 & iPadOS 13.3 Screen Time feature for the iPhone and iPad
One of these is the new Parental control which provides additional communication limits to parents. This lets parents choose who their children can call, message or FaceTime. The new additions are an extension of the Screen Time feature which was introduced back in iOS 12 last year and lets parents directly manage contacts from their children’s devices. For those looking for this feature, it can be found through the Communication Limits section from the Screen Time settings.
Additionally, iOS 13.3 and iPadOS 13.3 brings support for NFC, USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys. This can be used for securely browsing websites on Safari and other platforms like Dropbox, Facebook, Gmail, and Twitter. In other words, the update adds a physical security key to your iPhone and iPad which allows for better account privacy and protection across social media and emails.
Those seeking to update their iPhones and iPads can check if their devices have any pending updates by going to Settings>General>Software Update. Note: Make sure to have your device connected to a Wi-Fi and that it has an ample supply of battery life remaining.
iOS 13.3 Changelog for the iPhone
The New tvOS 13.3 and watchOS 6.1.1
Alongside the iPhone and iPad update, Apple also rolled out software upgrades for its Apple TVs and its Apple Watches. tvOS 13.3 brings new settings that allow users to bring back the “Up Next” queue to your Apple TV home screen which was removed in tvOS 13. Now, users can switch between showing “What to Watch” and “Up Next” section.
Lastly, Apple launched watchOS 6.1.1 for every compatible Apple Watch models. The new update claims to provide “important security updates” but apart from this, it doesn’t bring any notable changes.
To download tvOS 13.3, users have to open Settings>System>Software Updates. For watchOS 6.1.1, users must look for My Watch Tab on the Watch app which is available in the iPhone and then visit General>Software Updates. Note: Your Apple Watch should have at least 50 percent battery life remaining or charge it when updating.
LG announced its latest Gram series laptops today that are touted to set a new standard for portable computing. According to the South Korean tech giants, these laptops adhere to the company’s winning formula of combining portability and performance with extended battery life. LG announced four variants of the device, including the Gram 14, Gram 15, Gram 17, and Gram 2-in-1. Powering the Gram series is a 10th generation Intel Core processor.
2020 LG Gram Specifications and Features
The LG Gram 14 (model number 14Z90N) and the Gram 2-in-1 (14T90N) flaunt 15-inch full-HD+ displays. With the only difference being the Corning Gorilla Glass 6 certified touch-sensitive screen on the 2-in-1. The Gram 15 (15Z90N) flaunts a 15.6-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. While the Gram 17 (17Z90N) features a quad-HD display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels. The Gram 17’s display is the only one in the lineup to flaunt an aspect ratio of 16:10. The other three displays feature an aspect ratio of 16:9.
At the heart of the Gram series is a 10th Generation Intel Core processor with up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and dual SSD M.2 slots. While the users can choose between UHD and Intel Iris Plus graphics on the Gram 14, 15 and 17. The Gram 2-in-1 is only available with Intel UHD graphics. The Iris Plus graphics promise a smoother gaming experience. LG claims users will be able to edit 4K videos on-the-go with the new Gram series laptops.
While the Gram 14 and Gram 2-in-1 feature 72Wh batteries, the other twolaptops draw power from an 80Wh unit. LG has fitted the 2020 Gram series with a Mega Cooling System that helps maintain core temperature even under heavy load. The 2020 LG Gram series sports a backlit keyboard, while connectivity options include USB Type-C, a couple of USB Type 3.1 ports, Wi-Fi 6, microSD and UFS slots, HDMI port, and 3.5mm headphone/mic combo port. Additional features include DTS X Ultra audio enhancement and a fingerprint scanner. LG Gram laptops are MIL-STD-810G compliant, making them highly resistant to harsh climatic conditions.
LG plans to launch the Gram series alongside its other products at CES 2020, which is scheduled between Jan. 7 and 10. Additional information including pricing is expected to be confirmed at the event.
Realme has confirmed that it will be launching the Realme X2 smartphone in India on Dec. 17 at 12:30PM IST. Ahead of the launch, the Chinese manufacturer has started a Booster sale for buyers of the Realme X2. Customers who participate in the Booster sale offer will be provided with a Rs. 500 discount on the pricing of Realme X2.
The Booster sale for Realme X2 will run until Dec. 16. Buyers can visit the official landing page of the Realme X2 and hit the Pay Deposit Now button to pay Rs. 1,000 deposit amount. It requires to users to login with Relme account and then enter the complete address for delivering the handset.
Participating in the Booster sale will ensure 100 percent chance to purchase the Realme X2 phone in advance. The remaining amount of the handset can be paid between Dec. 17 and 24. While paying the remaining amount, users will be provided with Rs. 500 discount.
Realme X2
As of this writing, there is no information available on the pricing of the Realme X2. In China, the Realme X2 was introduced with a starting price of 1,599 Yuan (~$227; Rs. 15,999).
The Realme X2 has a 6.4-inch S-AMOLED display with waterdrop notch that produces 1080 x 2340 pixels full HD+ resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Shielded by Gorilla Glass 5, the Realme X2’s display is integrated with an in-display fingerprint scanner.
The 8nm Snapdragon 730G mobile platform powers the Realme X2 with up to 8 GB of RAM. It is expected to arrive with up to 256 GB of native storage and carry support for additional storage through a microSD card slot. It would be good to see the phone arrive preinstalled with ColorOS 7 flavored Android 10.
The back panel of the phone features a 64-megapixel + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (macro) + 2-megapixel (depth lens) quad camera system. On its front is a 32-megapixel selfie camera. The handset houses a 4,000mAh battery that supports 30W VOOC 4.0 Flash Charge technology that can full charge the device in 67 minutes.
Realme will be announcing the Realme Air Buds alongside the Realme X2 smartphone on Dec. 17. Rumors have it that it could be priced at Rs. 4,999 and it will arrive with support for wireless charging. Customers who are interested in purchasing the Realme Buds Air can take advantage of Rs. 400 discount coupon. To avail, one needs to purchase any of the following phones such as Realme X2 Pro, Realme XT, Realme 5 Pro, Realme X or Realme X Master Edition. Once purchased, the Rs. 400 discount will be send to the account automatically on Dec. 17 at 10 AM IST.
According to Jones Chen, Chairman of GSEO (Genius Electronic Optical), the supply for mid range and high end smartphone’s camera lens module falls short of its increasing demand. The optical lens maker pointed towards increased complexity and variety in lenses and their trends as a factor in the shortcoming.
Smartphones and their components have become increasingly more complex and difficult to manufacture. Each individual component, especially the lens, requires advanced hardware with precise software to manufacture. Furthermore, it is estimated that the demands from smartphone OEMs for camera lenses will increase even further by 2020. This is due to various companies adopting the new triple or quad camera modules on their smartphones, Chen explained.
OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition With a triple camera setup
Chen further stated that smartphone makers are expected to consistently upgrade lens module specifications; and GSEO hopes this can lead to a hike of its overall gross profit margin. Currently, GSEO specializes in mid range and high end smartphone’s camera lens modules and declines orders with low gross margins. Kuo Ying-Li, President of GSEO, also added that the company has been developing lens modules like waterdrop notch, black-coated, under-screen, OIS (optical image stabilization), periscope and ToF models that offer high gross margins.
Notably, the company also reported on developing automotive cameras, but certification for such products is time-consuming and shipments might not begin until the second half of 2021 or 2022. In other words, we might also be seeing a new breed of smartphone cameras in the near future.
Redmi K30 with a quad camera setup
Kuo also stated that the popularity of camera modules with 10MP or higher sensors have been increasing and now account for almost 47 percent of its entire business operations comprising of NT $8.265 billion for the first three quarters of 2019 (or roughly 271 million USD).
The Nokia C series was pretty popular back in the days when Nokia was still the smartphone king. The series had both smartphones and feature phones, thus making it available for different pockets. Now HMD Global is bringing the series back with the new Nokia C1. The new phone was announced in Kenya today.
The Nokia C1 is an entry-level smartphone targeted at Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. With respect to its design, it looks like the Nokia 1 Plus which is also an Android Go entry-level phone. However, there are some design differences.
The Nokia C1 has a hole for the speaker on the back just like the Nokia 1 Plus but the hole is on the left side rather than on the right. The Nokia C1 also has an LED in front alongside the selfie camera. Other than these two differences and of course the slightly different shade of red, you will not be wrong to call this a rebranded Nokia 1 Plus.
With respect to specs, the Nokia C1 has a 5.45-inch FWVGA+ IPS display just like the Nokia 1 Plus. The spec sheet says it is a “toughened glass display”. It has a 5MP f/2.4 rear camera with an LED flash and another 5MP camera with LED too up in front. There is 1GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage along with an unnamed 1.3GHz quad-core processor.
Millions of consumers across markets in Africa, Middle East and APAC will upgrade from a feature phone to their first smartphone. Nokia C1 is a smartphone they can trust – bringing quality experiences at an affordable price with 3G connectivity #nokiamobilepic.twitter.com/QibUYWxRTn
There is a dedicated Google Assistant button on the left side of the phone, a MicroUSB port, Dual SIM support (nano only), an audio jack, FM radio, Bluetooth 4.2, and a MicroSD card slot (64GB max). It also has GPS and 2.4GHz WiFi.
HMD Global has cut corners with connectivity by not including support for 4G, so you are limited to just 3G. That is not an issue as the phone is targeted at those who are switching from a feature phone to their very first smartphone.
[envira-gallery id=”294590″]
HMD Global ships the Nokia C1 with Android 9 Pie Go Edition and includes apps such as YouTube Go and Gallery Go. The phone is priced at KES 5,999 (~$60) in Kenya but there is no info on the price and availability in other markets.
Oppo is one of the top 10 most popular smartphone manufacturers in the world. Its success is accredited to the company’s popularity in its primary targets being India and China, which are also the biggest smartphone markets in the world. Now, it is reported that the company is looking to further cementing its base in the former nation by opening a second R&D Centre in the country.
The news arrives after Oppo announced its plans on investing $7 billion in research and development globally in the next three years. The company already has one R&D in Hyderabad, India (largest R&D Center outside of China) and may now also establish a new center, but this time in another city, Bengaluru, according to a senior executive.
Alen Wu, Oppo’s Vice President and President of Global Sales, stated that the company has 6 global institutes and 4 research centers including the one in Hyderabad which the OEM is planning on expanding. Furthermore, the top executive went on to also state that the company is planning on investing more in R&D owing to Oppo’s success in the Indian subcontinent.
OPPO Reno2 Z (left) and Reno2 F (right) for India
Oppo’s plans for a new R&D center in Bengaluru are directly related to the success of the company which saw a growth of 60 percent in India alone. Reportedly, these numbers are also expected to go up more by year-end. Wu also added that India will always be an important market for the company which currently has an 11.8 percent smartphone market share in the country in Q3 2019.
On INNO DAY 2019, the Oppo Founder and CEO, Tony Chen, announced the $7 billion investment in R&D over the next 3 years. The large sum is being invested to develop core technologies in hardware, software and system in addition to 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality and other emerging fields.
"OPPO is more than just a smartphone company", said Tony (Founder,CEO), @oppo also announced investment plans of US$ 7 billion over the next three years into R&D to drive innovations in hardware as well as software. #CreateBeyondBoundariespic.twitter.com/ro7Rdgt9SU
Notably, Chen also mentioned that Oppo and the entire industry won’t solely be focusing on just smartphones as the company has three key strategies of seizing 5G opportunities and other important fields. These important steps include:
Firstly, the company will remain committed to core technology R&D centers.
Secondly, Oppo plans on building a multi-portal ecosystem of intelligent devices with smartphones being the key gateway (Similar to Apple’s ecosystem).
And lastly, to rethink user service and optimize content and service offerings.
When the ASUS ROG Phone II launched in China back in June, the manufacturer said there will be an Ultimate Edition that will be released in the fourth quarter of the year. This version is now available in Europe with a more expensive price tag but tries to justify it with its additional features.
The ROG Phone II Ultimate Edition has an exclusive Matte Black colorway, unlike the other variants that have a Glossy Black finish. It also has 1TB of UFS 3.0 storage, Cat. 20 LTE support up to 2Gbps download speeds, and 802.11ad 60GHz WiFi. The other variants have Cat. 16 LTE (1Gbps download speeds) and 802.11ac WiFi.
The Ultimate Edition is priced at £899.99 in the UK and €999 in the rest of Europe. The Ultimate Edition is ¥7999 in China and that converts to about €1025.
ASUS has also brought the 8GB + 128GB version to Europe and is calling it the Strix Edition. Strix is also an ASUS gaming brand that was launched back in 2014. It is targeted at the performance-to-premium segment and includes products such as headphones, GPUs, mice, and keyboards.
The ASUS ROG Phone II Strix is £599 in the UK and €699 in other markets. ASUS UK has a special offer of 30% off the ROG Cetra In-Ear Gaming Headphones if you add it to your purchase of the ROG Phone II (any variant).
The ROG Phone 2 has a 6.59-inch 1080 x 2340 AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10, and Gorilla Glass 6 protection. It is the first phone in the world to be powered by the Snapdragon 855+ processor. There is a 6000mAh battery under the hood with support for Quick Charge 4.0 and 30W fast charge. It also supports reverse charging at 10W.
The phone has a 48MP + 13MP ultrawide dual rear camera setup and a 24MP selfie camera. It also has an in-display fingerprint scanner, NFC, Dual SIM support, Bluetooth 5.0, an audio jack, and stereo speakers. The ROG Phone II launched with Android 9 Pie out of the box but is set to get an Android 10 update soon.
OPPO will be launching the Reno3 series of smartphones on Dec. 26. The company has already confirmed that the Reno3 Pro will be equipped with Snapdragon 765G mobile platform whereas the Reno3 will be coming with a MediaTek SoC. Newer reports have revealed that the Reno3 will be driven by MediaTek MT6885 chipset. A new OPPO phone with model number PDCM00 driven by the MT6885 has appeared on AnTuTu benchmarks. It appears to be Reno3 5G phone. Another leak has revealed that the Reno3 5G will be arriving with 64-megapixel quad cameras.
The PDCM00 OPPO Reno3 phone has scored 143,075 points in the CPU test and 107,282 points in the graphics test. The handset has scored 75,354 and 54,128 points in the memory and UX tests of AnTuTu. The average benchmarking score recorded by the smartphone is 379,839. This score is higher than the Exynos 980 powered Vivo X30 Pro that recorded 326,029 points and the Snapdragon 765G driven Redmi K30 that recorded 302,847 points. MediaTek is yet to announce the MT6885 chipset. The Chinese tipster who shared the above screenshot claims that the SoC will debut as Dimensity 1000L. Its a lower variant of 7nm MediaTek Dimensity 1000 5G chipset that was announced last month.
The tipster also shared another screengrab of the Reno3 5G. The image reveals that the Reno3 PDCM00 phone has an f/1.8 aperture camera that can shoot images of 6912 x 9216 resolution. This indicates that the phone is fitted with a 64-megapixel main lens. Probably, it could be featuring a Samsung GW1 64-megapixel lens that is available on the OPPO K5 phone.
The official renders have revealed that the OPPO Reno3 Pro will be arriving with a punch-hole display. On the other side, the Reno3 has a waterdrop notch on its screen. Both phones are fitted with a vertical camera setup with four cameras on their rear.
OPPO Reno3
At the beginning of this month, the OPPO PCPM00 / PCPT00 smartphone was spotted with full specs on TENAA. At that time, the handset was speculated to debut as Reno3. Apparently, the PCPM00 / PCTM00 phone lacks support for 5G connectivity which suggests that it could be a different phone or a 4G only version of the Reno3.
Earlier today (11th December 2019), Xiaomi referred to themselves as a “grocery store” owing to its multiple product lines that span across many consumer-related products. It was well-meaning humor from the Chinese tech giant but one that also holds some truth. According to a new report, Xiaomi has patented designs for what appears to be a mineral water bottle.
Patent for Xiaomi’s Mineral Water Bottle
The patent for the design was reportedly submitted on 30th April 2019 and got published on 10th December 2019. The application for the patent is held by Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co. Ltd., which also credits the name of its two inventors. From the patent, we can observe that the design and name of the product are made out to be a mineral water bottle.
As seen in the images, the patent seems to be in very early stages of conceptualizing and designing. It is yet to be revealed what unique aspect of this product the company has in store for its potential buyers.
Xiaomi Mineral Water Bottle (Image Via ITHome)
Unfortunately, more information regarding the product is currently unavailable. Since it just had its patent recently publicized, it’s doubtful if Xiaomi even has even been begun working on it so far. It seems highly unlikely for a smartphone manufacturing company to sell water bottles. However, considering the company’s track record with a vast horizon of experimentation and crowdfunding on unique products, Xiaomi seems the most likely to pull off something like this.
The Motorola One Zoom is a mid-range smartphone with the camera specifications of a flagship. Apart from an OIS enabled 48-megapixel lens, a 16-megapixel ultrawide sensor and a 5-megapixel depth sensor, the One Zoom flaunts an OIS assisted 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. The smartphone records videos at 4K resolution, which can be viewed on the large 6.39-inch AMOLED display. The waterdrop notch on the display of the One Zoom features a 25-megapixel selfie camera. The Snapdragon 675 chipset powered One Zoom’s camera was recently tested by the good folks at DxOMark, following a strict protocol, and the results were not that impressive.
Motorola One Zoom DxOMark Score
With an average DxOMark camera score of 87, the Motorola One Zoom fares better than most other smartphones from the company, including the Moto G7 Plus and the Moto Z2 Force which have average scores of 80 and 82 respectively. Despite the seemingly high scores, all three smartphones are yet to catch up with the market leaders.
However, the One Zoom performs inherently better and is comparable to older Apple and Samsung devices like the iPhone 7 Plus and the Galaxy A50, which have average scores of 88 and 86 respectively. In terms of still photography, the Motorola One Zoom manages to score 92 points. Although it is not close to the benchmark, it offers significant improvement over the Moto G7 Plus.
With the addition of the telephoto lens, the quad-camera setup inherits better optical zoom, slightly better wide-angle shots, exposure, and bokeh. When shooting in well-lit conditions, the exposure seems balanced, while the details are acceptable in both indoor and outdoor locations. However, the images suffer from a significant amount of overshaping on the edges, especially when cropped. Noise levels are also on the higher side compared to other devices in the budget.
The story quickly takes a turn for the worse as we venture into low-light imaging. Exposure immediately takes a hit with limited dynamic range, resulting in an increase of shadow clipping. Backlit wide-angle shots also tend to be underexposed. There is significant scope for improvement in the color department. While white balance is generally not an issue, a slight yellow overshadow is prominent. Motorola has done a great job of color control, although color rendering could have been better. As a result, skin tones often look unnatural in low light images.
Autofocus is inconsistent, and this is evident from the photographs. While the camera is capable of capturing sharp images, a 500ms delay between focus and the final shot is a bit disappointing. Wide-angle shots are acceptable but suffer from underexposure, low detail and color quantization. While the exposure is decent in optimal lighting conditions, the lack of dynamic range with the flash turned off is a serious issue plaguing low-light imaging. The story is consistent with zoom shots. While details are higher in bright conditions, autofocus inconsistencies crop up as the light fades.
Background blur adds a nice touch in portrait mode, although, errors are prominent in the more complex areas. Depth estimation is decent, while artifacts are well-controlled with the primary issue being reduced sharpness and ringing towards the corners. Motorola worked on improving the video quality in terms of autofocus, exposure, and stabilization. While improvements are noticeable in handheld videos when the camera is stable, frameshifts begin to creep up when walking. Noise levels are well-contained when filming indoors, but the details suffer from over-sharpening.
The quad-camera setup with a telephoto lens works in favor of the Motorola One Zoom, as the smartphone offers an attractive proposition for the budget-conscious audience. Well-balanced exposure, decent autofocus, and background blur in portrait mode work in favor of the device. However, serious improvements are required in dynamic range, ultra-wide shots, and color rendering if Motorola plans to take on the leaders with its future lineup.
Xiaomi Youpin has launched a brand new mobile printer on their crowdfunding platform called the Jiyin Gramophone Photo Printer. The bug draw of this product is that it can print AR photos, features direct wireless network connection, and the crowdfunding price is 699 yuan, which translates to about $100.
According to the official introduction, the Jiyin Gramophone Photo Printer adopts AR recognition tracking technology. When printing photos, it can realize up to 60 second of audio and save data to the cloud. Scanned photos can play audio, and you can apparently send these sound photos to friends via apps like WeChat, which is an interesting prospect.
The printer prints 6-inch photos at a resolution of 300dpi, and it takes about one minute to print these. In addition to this, the printed photos are automatically coated to prevent fading, oxidation, water splashes and fingerprints. The photo printer also supports a variety of connectivity options and printing methods.
The Jiyin Gramophone Photo Printer measures in at about 205 × 124.6 × 85.4mm and it weighs a fairly decent 1.4kg so it definitely lives up to the idea of being a mobile printer. Honestly with this set of features, it’s a pretty interesting device. In terms of battery life, you can print about 40 photos when fully charged, which isn’t really all too bad.
On 11th December 2019, Xiaomi unveiled its new Mijia light sensor. The new product starts crowdfunding and will be available from the 12th of December 2019 for a price of 49 Yuan or roughly about 7 US Dollars.
According to the official sources, Mijia’s new light sensor is a new intelligent device for one’s home. It can accurately detect the changes in ambient light intensity in its surroundings and automatically activate multiple smart gadgets at regular intervals for better indoor lighting.
Xiaomi Mijia Light Sensor (on the wall)
In other words, no human input is required for achieving the best possible lighting conditions with the device. However, users are also given the option to customize the range of lighting intervals via the Mijia application for smartphones. Furthermore, the new product also connects and works in conjunction with other smart home products.
The best example of this would be during the day when there is an ample amount of light coming through the windows. Mijia’s light sensor can activate the curtains to extend after detecting the intensity of the light; similarly, when the ambient light is low during evenings, the sensor can automatically switch on more lights in users home.
Xiaomi Mijia Light Sensor
The shell of Mijia’s new light sensor is made for UV-resistant material which means its color will not fade easily in the long term use. It has even passed waterproof tests and withstood high temperatures to protect the Texas instruments’ precision sensor components on the inside. The device itself is small and compact and can be installed in 3 different methods that are, laying flat, pasted or even magnetically adhered to a surface.
Xiaomi has been granted a patent for another foldable phone with a folding design similar to that of the Motorola Razr 2019. This is the second patent Xiaomi has received for such a design in the span of a month. The first patent was granted in November while this was granted on December 6, 2019, following filing back in mid-2018.
The new patent shows a device that folds vertically but there are some major differences when compared to the first patent. Unlike the first patent that has a bezel at the top of the display for the selfie camera and sensors, the diagrams for the new patent show the phone will have no bezels. This should translate into a higher screen-to-body ratio. But that’s not all.
The diagram shows the phone has a pop-up selfie camera. The camera is flanked by a sensor and an LED flash. So when the user needs to take a photo or record a video, the motorized selfie camera pops up.
On the back of the phone are dual cameras and an LED flash but these are unique. The sensors and flash are actually housed inside a smaller display whose function is to display notifications when the phone is folded. So, yes, we have three punch holes inside this much smaller secondary display.
Xiaomi has been accumulating patents for foldable phones but it is yet to launch one yet. It did show us a working prototype of a phone with a flexible screen that can be folded twice earlier this year but there has been no news of a launch.
Samsung and Huawei should launch successors to their foldable devices next year. Samsung has even shared a teaser video of the upcoming phone, and it too has a vertically folding design like the Motorola Razr.
Vivo X30 and Vivo X30 Pro phones that are scheduled to go official on Dec. 16 will be fueled by the Exynos 980 chipset that bring support dual-mode 5G. The Vivo X30 Pro that is believed to have the model number of V1938T was recently seen on the database of 3C certification site. The same model number had appeared on Geekbench benchmarking platform. Yesterday, some leaked shots of the Vivo V1938T phone had appeared to reveal some of its key specs. Today, an AnTuTu listing of the Vivo V1938T phone has appeared to reveal its performance.
The AnTuTu listing has not revealed the specifications of the Vivo X30 Pro smartphone. However, it has revealed that the X30 Pro has recorded an average benchmarking score of 326,029. It can be seen that the Exynos 980 powered smartphone is equipped with Mali-G77 graphics and Android 9 Pie OS.
The aforementioned score is an average of CPU, GPU, memory and UX scores of Vivo V1938T phone. In the CPU and GPU tests, the V1938T phone has scored 116,836 and 88,459, respectively. In the memory and UX tests, the handset has recorded 57,598 and 63,136 scores, respectively. In comparison, the Snapdragon 765 5G chipset powered Redmi K30 had recorded a slightly lower score of 302,847.
The Vivo X30 Pro could be coming with a display of around 6.5 inches. The punch-hole display of the phonev will be embedded with a fingerprint sensor. The Exynos 980 chipset on the device could be coupled with 8 GB of RAM. The native storage of the phone is 128 GB. The Android 9 Pie OS on the device will be flavored with a new edition of the FunTouch OS.
The X30 Pro has a quad camera setup that is powered with features like LED flash, OIS and EIS. It is rumored to include a main lens of 64-megapixel, a portrait sensor of 32-megapixel, a superwide lens of 8-megapixel and a periscope lens of 13-megapixel. The smartphone is expected to offer users with up to 60x digital zoom experience.
The Vivo X30 Pro could be housing a 4,500mAh battery. The 3C certification of the Vivo V1938T phone has suggested that the phone may arrive with support for 33W fast charging. There is no information on the pricing of the X30 Pro. Considering the fact that the Exynos 980 powered Vivo X30 Pro is non-flagship 5G smartphone, it could be costing less than 3,000 Yuan (~$426).
Instagram is the most popular video and photo sharing platform with over a billion registered users. In recent times, it has gained massive popularity due to simple and intuitive features. The facebook-owned social platform always offers the best offers by taking care of the users’ privacy and security. Since the inception of the Status feature, Instagram has witnessed a massive growth of active users. However, certain restrictions often trouble users while using Instagram. The new Instapref Xposed Module can quickly eliminate such woes for the regular users of Instagram.
Instagram has become home to several businesses promoting the brand values and the success stories. Similarly, the influencers are often seen sharing pictures, stories and promoting the brands. Due to the mobile and 4G revolution, such promotions and success stories are now regular.
On the other hand, it is now more challenging to compete and establish their own brand without spending capital. Instagram has tweaked and limited access to the users’ data. The user can save photos, stories, DM, post notifications for specific users can be accessed via Instaprefs. There are many advantages to using the Instaprefs Xposed Module.
Features of Instaprefs
Saving of high-quality Posts, Stories, DMs, Live Videos, Profile Pictures
Story saving
DM saving
Profile picture saving
Stealth Story/DM viewing
Unlimited Story/DM viewing
Post Notification saving (full-sized: image, video, carousel)
Unlimited DM viewing for self-destroying images
Zoom for Posts, Stories, DMs, Live videos, Profile Pictures
Typing, camera opened and replay notification removal
Media controls for videos
Private indicator on Posts and Profiles
Follow indicator on Posts and Profiles
Suggested users, shops are blocked
Story and Feed ads are blocked
Copy comments
Increased quality for sent images
Instaprefs allows choosing the folder for saving the photos and videos. The user can’t select the photo quality. It will be saved only in the highest quality possible. The module queue the download if any excessive network activity is going on. Undoubtedly, the user needs to give it storage permission to save photos and videos.
Prerequisites:
The Phone should be Rooted.
Xposed/EdXposed/VirtualXposed should be installed on your Android smartphone. (Note: Follow Out guide to install Xposed Module on Android 9)
Install Instagram Offical Android App from the Play Store.
Steps to install Instaprefs Module on Android device
Now, Activate the module and reboot the device or Instagram App.
Open Instagram and enjoy the features!!
Instaprefs can be fully used on Android 9 and older Android versions. However, for Android 10, the users need to install EdXposed via Ruiru Core Magisk Module.
We hope the Instaprefs would gradually increase the productivity of the users. If you have any issues while installing the Instaprefs module, then do comment below to let us know about the problem.
Meizu has been rather quiet these past few days, which is odd considering the huge announcements from their competitors. Turns out they were just waiting for the storm to pass, as the company has now announced that they have a major event on December 13th. The company made the announcement on Weibo earlier today.
The teaser poster released shows us what appears to be some sort of silhouette against a mountainous background. The Weibo post also asks “What is OMA? On December 13th, a click into a poem.” The post and remarks under the post seem to refer to cameras, but we’ve got very little information to go off of so it’s all just conjecture.
It remains a mystery what the three letters “OMA” means. Given that the last poster we got showcases a crowded place in the background, some are claiming that the device will have something to do with active noise cancellation. However, now that we’ve got another teaser image that has nothing to do with noise cancellation, the mystery remains.
To know for sure what’s up the company’s sleeves this time, we’ll have to wait for the official launch event to take place in China on 13th December. Since there are still few days left for that, we expect the company to share more details about this in the coming days.
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