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Xiaomi crowdfunds a heated goose down jacket, fired up by a power bank

Xiaomi also released products under its crowdfunding platform despite the avalanche of products released during the press conference yesterday. The company announced its 407th crowdfunding product – a double-sided smart temperature control goose down jacket 3.0. The jacket is on offer for 499 yuan ($70) during the crowdfunding period. The price will likely get a slight increase after the exercise.XIaomi Smart Jacket

The smart temperature-controlled goose down jacket 3.0 uses 90% high-quality white goose down, layered to resist cold wind intrusion. The fluffy white goose down is said to be warmer than duck down. The jacket is stuffed automatically to ensure it is evenly distributed in order to keep everywhere warm.

The smart temperature control jacket features a smart three-speed temperature control design. The temperature control can be adjusted to suit the ambient temperature or as desired by the user. It can be powered using a power bank and Xiaomi claims a 10,000mAh power bank can deliver continuous heating of the jacket for up to 7 hours, enough to see you through a cold day outdoors.Xiaomi jacket

The jacket also comes with a waterproof fabric texture which makes it suitable for use in the dark or when it rains. The front and back of the fabric are said to have been subjected to level 3 anti-splash treatment. The jacket has reflective strips at the front and back which reflects when the light beam strikes it at night, thus making the wearer visible at night.

This is yet another important product from Xiaomi that would come in useful during winter and other cold seasons. We expect the tech giant to make plans to start shipping these interesting products outside China. For now, it will likely be available only in China. Xiaomi has got a couple of other jackets that are already available overseas via thrid-party retailers like the Uleemark multi-storage jacket.

 

 

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Xiaomi launches the Mi Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker with IP55 water and dust resistance

Fresh off of the launch the recent Mi MIX Alpha, Xiaomi is now back with something new. It’s a much smaller launch this time around, with the latest Mi product being the Mi Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker, which we actually heard about a couple of months back. It’s finally ready to go on sale, for the price of 199 yuan ($28).

The Mi Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker comes with Bluetooth 5.0, and in a surprising twist it features a USB-C port (as all devices should have at this point). There’s a 2600mAh battery with 8-hour continuous playback, along with 52mm speaker drivers. There are even two HD microphone pickups, which is a nice touch.

When it comes to the design and build, things also look pretty good. It features the pill design that many companies have been going for as of late, but it’s got a few extras. It comes with IP55 dust and water resistance, which makes sense for an outdoor speaker. The main chassis utilizes seamless fabric and soft plastic, so it’s light and rugged.

Xiaomi’s Mi Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker will go on sale at 10:00 on the 26th of September. It’ll be available exclusively from Xiaomi’s official mall page for 199 yuan ($28). Overall, it seems like a nifty little bluetooth speaker, and it’s certainly not a bad price for the features available. Tell us your thoughts down in the comments section below.

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Huawei’s Kirin 990 chipset scores over 400K on Master Lu

The Kirin 990 is Huawei’s latest flagship processor. It is the chipset inside the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro and will be the SoC that will power Huawei and Honor‘s flagship for the next 10 months or thereabout.

Prior to the release of the Mate 30 series, the Kirin 990 was spotted on Geekbench powering an unknown Huawei device. After the launch, the chipset was benchmarked on AnTuTu, scoring less than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 Plus. Today, the Master Lu benchmark result for the processor has surfaced on the web.

Kirin 990 Master Lu score

The result reveals the test device is the 8GB RAM + 256GB version of the Mate 30. The device scored a total of 424261 points. A break down of the score shows that the device has a CPU score of 163,575, a GPU score of 160856, and a RAM/memory score of 42840, and a storage score of 56,990.

Compared to other devices, the Mate 30’s Master Lu score comes behind that of devices like the Nubia Red Magic 3 which has a score of 459,463 points and the Black Shark 2.

The Kirin 990 is a 7nm chipset with 8 cores in a 2 + 2 + 4 arrangement. It has 2x Cortex A76 cores clocked at 2.86GHz, another set of 2x A76 clocked at 2.09GHz, and 4x Cortex A55 cores clocked at 1.86GHz. Its GPU is a 16-core Mali-G76 and it has a dual-core NPU. There is also a Kirin 990 5G which is a 7nm + EUV chipset with some of its cores clocked higher than the non-5G version. It also has a tri-core NPU. Hence, the Master Lu score for the Mate 30 5G version should be higher than the above.

 

 

Here’s Why the Mi Mix Alpha looks Awfully Similar to Xiaomi’s Foldable Prototype

Xiaomi launched a spectacular smartphone yesterday, the Mi Mix Alpha featuring a 360° surround display that features a 180% screen to body ratio. The phone is nothing like the smartphones we’ve ever seen before, making an all-screen design very close to reality. But we couldn’t help but notice that the Alpha is awfully similar to the foldable Xiaomi prototype that featured a double folding design. Now, Xiaomi’s co-founder, Lin Bin has revealed why there are some similarities between the two.

Xiaomi foldable design
Xiaomi’s foldable prototype features a dual folding design

Lin Bin reveals that the Mi Mix Alpha and Xiaomi’s foldable that was teased earlier this year were developed in sync with each other. In fact, both the projects have been assigned internal codes in the same series. The two projects were developed simultaneously but the company could overcome the technical challenges associated with Mi Mix Alpha’s project recently which finally enabled them to carry out a small scale trial production.

Lin Bin Mix Alpha and Xiaomi Foldable

This makes sense because the Mi Mix Alpha looks like a permanently folded version of the dual folding screen protoype revealed by Xiaomi back in March. Lin Bin’s comment also confirms that the company is still working on the dual folding design. We can’t say when Xiaomi will officially release the handset but given how it managed to bring the Mix Alpha concept to reality, the foldable phone may not be very far off.

 

Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha featured
Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha has a permanently folded screen

Still, both the Galaxy Fold and the Mate X foldable had to face numerous technical challenges before launch. The dual folding concept from Xiaomi looks really cool but it’s even more extreme than the single folding design used by both Samsung and Huawei’s foldable. So it remains to be seen if Xiaomi can bring the dual folding design to reality anytime soon.

The Galaxy Fold is already on sale in South Korea and goes on sale in the US next week, with a release expected on October 1 in India. Even the Mate X is finally going on sale in October, at least in China, confirms Huawei’s support. As the technology matures for mass production, we can expect to see better implementations of the foldable design in the coming years. And Xiaomi’s foldable could be one of those designs that make it compact and practical.

 

 

Huawei Mate X will release in October, confirms official Huawei support

At the IFA 2019 tech exhibition, Huawei had announced the Kirin 990 5G chipset. At that time, the Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO, Richard Yu had also confirmed that the company will be releasing the Huawei Mate X foldable phone in October. Huawei terminal customer service officer Guan Wei claimed that the Mate X is expected to release in China in October.

Huawei Mate X Ocober release

Wei has suggested users to pay attention to Huawei’s official website, forum site and official Weibo account to know the exact release date of the Mate X.  Now that there is official news on the arrival of the Mate X, it appears that the company is ready for its mass production and sales. After October release in China, the Mate X may come to global markets in November.

The Huawei Mate X that comes with a flexible display was first showcased at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 tech event in February. At that time, the device was powered by Kirin 980 chipset. The sales of the foldable phone were expected to begin in August. However, its arrival was delayed by the company without revealing the reasons behind it.

It is speculated that the company may release two versions of the Mate X. One may feature the Kirin 980 and the other one could be coming with the latest Kirin 990 chipset that supports 5G connectivity natively. It is speculated that the Kirin 990 SoC edition of the Mate X will be featuring the same triple cameras that are available on the Huawei P30 Pro.

Huawei Mate X featured

The Mate X had appeared on TENAA’s database in the previous month. It revealed that the device measures 161.3 x 146.2 x 11mm. It has an 8-inch display that supports 2480 x 2200 pixels and 8:7.1 aspect ratio. When folded, it transforms into a dual display phone with one side featuring a 6.6-inch display with 2480 x 1148 pixels resolution and the other side with 6.38-inch display with 2480 x 892 pixels and 25:9 aspect ratio.

The Mate X has 4,500mAh battery with 55W fast charging support. Its has up to 12 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of storage. The device features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

 

Honor 9X Holographic Icelandic White color variant will go on sale from 1st October

Honor, the sub-brand of Huawei, has today announced a new color variant for its Honor 9X series smartphones — Holographic Icelandic White. The company has also revealed that this new color option will go on sale in China from 1st October.

While the smartphone comes in a White color option, it shows different hues when viewed under a light source. The company has also confirmed that both the phones — Honor 9X and 9X Pro will come in Holographic Icelandic White color.

Honor 9X Icelandic White Color

Coming to the specifications, both the models under Honor 9X series features a glass and metal combination chassis. With no notch onboard, the Pro model offers a full-screen experience through its 6.59-inch IPS LCD display, along with 19.5:9 aspect ratio and Full HD+ screen resolution.

Under the hood, the smartphones are powered by the company’s own Kirin 810 octa-core chipset. While the Pro comes with up to 8GB RAM and maximum storage of 256GB (UFS 2.1), the standard model has up to 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.

For additional storage, the handset comes equipped with a microSD card slot. The chipset is also equipped with liquid cooling technology for heat dissipation. Both of them are packed with usual connectivity features such as dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, USB-C, and 3.5mm audio jack, along with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Huawei Honor 9X Pro

As for the optics, the Honor 9X Pro features a vertically arranged triple camera system on the back, which includes a 48-megapixel primary lens with f/1.8 aperture, an 8-megapixel super-wide lens and a 2-megapixel sensor for adding depth effects.

The smartphone is blessed with an elevating camera of 16-megapixel for capturing selfie shots. On the other hand, the standard model comes with a dual-camera setup on the back, consisting of a 48-megapixel f/1.8 aperture main lens and 2-megapixel depth sensor.

The devices are running EMUI 9.1.1 out-of-the-box which is based on Android 9 Pie operating system. It also comes with GPU Turbo 3.0 technology that enhances the gaming experience. The smartphones are powered by a 4,000mAh battery.

 

Redmi K20 Pro Android 10 update is now rolling out in India

On Sept. 3, Google had rolled out the Android 10 update to its Pixel devices and some third-party phones including the Chinese edition of the Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro. Numerous Indian users of the Redmi K20 Pro are now claiming on a discussion thread on Mi Forums that they are now receiving the stable edition of the MIUI 10 based Android 10 upgrade.

The Android 10 update for Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro in India brings along MIUI v10.4.8 QFKINXM. The size of the update is 2.2 GB. The changelog of the update states that it carries optimizations for 32-bit apps that reduces the rate of force close and a fix for random reboot on the handset.

Redmi K20 Pro Android 10 update-

The Redmi K20 Pro Android 10 update comes with dark theme, gesture-based navigation and ability to prioritize notifications according to the preferences of the user. Some of the other features that are included in the update are improved permission manager, digital wellbeing, front camera effects and more ambient display preset. Few of the naïve features like Smart Reply that are found on the stock edition of Android 10 are not available in the update.

Redmi K20 Pro Specifications and Features

The Redmi K20 Pro variants such as 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage are respectively priced at Rs. 27,999 and Rs. 30,999. The handset comes in Carbon Black, Glacier Blue, Flame Red and Pearl White color variants.

Redmi K20 Pro featured

The Redmi K20 Pro has a 6.39-inch notch-less AMOLED display with full HD+ resolution and in-screen fingerprint reader. The Snapdragon 855 chipset powers the smartphone. It is backed by a 4,000mAh battery that supports 27W fast charging.

It has a front camera of 20-megapixel. The rear side of the phone features Sony IMX586 48-megapixel + 13-megapixel + 8-megapixel triple camera system can be found on the backside of the device.

Buy Lenovo E1 Sports Smartwatch for Just $39.99 from Gearbest [Free Gift]

Health and fitness is an incessant journey, but many people jump off the fitness bandwagon due to lack of time to workout at the gym. Thankfully, the market is teeming with all sorts of fitness gadgets that help you lead a healthier lifestyle.

Lenovo E1 Sports Smartwatch

Sports and fitness enthusiasts spend tens of thousands of dollars on all sorts of smart wearables that can monitor their activities while keeping a track of their health. Those who go for inexpensive alternatives, on the other hand, have to compromise in terms of quality and performance.

Much to the relief of those on a tight budget, Gearbest has launched the Lenovo E1 Smart Watch Flash Sale, offering the feature-rich smartwatch for a considerably reduced price. Aside from getting a noteworthy discount, Gearbest users have a chance of winning a free gift with their order.

The Lenovo E1 would normally set you back $49.99, but you can buy it for a lowered price of only $39.99 from Gearbest. The watch is currently up for grabs in green, black color options. There’s a 20 percent off on watch with red band, and 28 percent discount on watch with black steel strap.

Lenovo E1 sports smartwatch

First 500 lucky buyers will qualify for a free wristband. This gift will not be listed in the shopping cart; however, it will be shipped directly to qualified buyers.

The Lenovo E1 sports an eye-catching 1.33-inch screen. The square-shaped dial is water-resistant and scratch-resistant. Moreover, the single-hand control design of the Lenovo E1 enables you to conveniently use the watch even when exercising.

The watch features a soft silicone strap for comfortable wearing experience for a longer duration. It can keep track of your heart rate and sleep pattern to generate an accurate health status report.

Furthermore, the watch adopts a 2.5D glass mirror treatment that makes the surface resemble the overflow of water droplets, allowing your fingers to slide more smoothly. It runs DIY 3D UI, allowing you to customize your wallpaper, adjust the position of the clock, etc.

The Lenovo E1 smartwatch offers seven modes including walking, running, cycling, skipping, etc. The watch draws its juices from a built-in 180mAh battery that offers 10 days of battery life, and 25 days standby time.

You can follow this link to check out more details about the Lenovo E1 smartwatch and place your order. With over 80 pieces sold at the time of writing, the promo is slated to end shortly.

Sharp launches Aquos Zero 2 with a 240 Hz refresh rate display

Earlier this year, Japanese electronics maker, Sharp launched the Aquos Zero flagship handset which boasts of the being the world’s lightest smartphone with a 6-inch display. Today, the company has launched its successor which is called the Aquos Zero 2.

The key highlighting features of the newly launched handset include a 6.4 inch OLED display with an astounding refresh rate of 240 Hz and a lightweight body that weighs just 143 grams, 3 grams lighter than its predecessor.

Sharp Aquos Zero 2 Design and Features

Both the front and rear of the Sharp Aquos Zero 2 are made out of glass that provides it with an elegant overall design. As previously mentioned, it sports a 6.4-inch OLED display that has a resolution 2340 x 1080 px. Like several other smartphones of the modern era, it features a waterdrop notch above the display that houses an 8 MP selfie camera.

The Sharp Aquos Zero 2 features the Snapdragon 855 SoC which consists of an octa-core CPU and Adreno 640 GPU. In terms of memory and storage, it packs 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.0 ROM. For safely and securely logging into the UI, it features an in-display fingerprint sensor. Besides it also supports facial recognition.

The rear of the Sharp Aquos Zero 2 houses a dual-camera setup which consists of an f/1.7 aperture equipped 12 MP sensor and a wide-angle sensor. It is powered by a 3130 mAh battery and runs on the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, Android 10. The smartphone will be offered in two colour options which include Astro Black and Misty White.

The price of the smartphone is currently unavailable, however, it will be revealed in the following weeks.

Sharp Aquos Zero 2 Quick Specs

  • Display: 6.4-inch OLED, Full HD+ 2340 × 1080 pixels, 240 Hz refresh rate
  • Operating System: Android 10
  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Octa Core
  • RAM: 8 GB LPDDR4x
  • Storage: 256 GB, UFS 3.0
  • Rear Cameras: 12 MP + Ultrawide Sensor, LED Flash
  • Selfie Camera: 8 MP
  • Security: In-display fingerprint scanner
  • Connectivity: 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac 2.4G + 5G, Bluetooth 5 .0, GPS, USB Type-C
  • Battery: 3,130mAh
  • Dimensions:158 x 74 x 8.8 mm
  • Weight: 143 g

 

Buy Xiaomi Air 2 Wireless Earphone for $79.99 from Giztop

While we were restlessly waiting for Xiaomi to unveil  Mi MIX Alpha, Mi 9 Pro 5G, the Chinese tech giant surprised its huge fan base by taking the wraps off few other products including the Mi TV Pro 8K recently.

Xiaomi Air 2 Wireless Earphone

The Xiaomi Air 2 is among other recently launched products. It is a high-res audio headset that adopts a true wireless design for a superior listening experience. Moreover, the headset supports LHDC (low latency and high-definition audio codec) Bluetooth decoding, which allows three times more data transmission as compared to the Bluetooth SBC.

Available in pure white color option, the Xiaomi Air 2 is an irresistible Bluetooth headset. It adopts a design that bears a striking resemblance to the Apple AirPods semi-in-ear design. It employs a 14.2 mm composite diaphragm moving coil unit.

The Xiaomi Air 2 offers rich and full bass, with a clear and sharp treble. Aside from that, the headset uses dual-microphone noise reduction for enabling clearer calls.xiaomi wireless earphone air 2

The Xiaomi Air2 True Wireless Bluetooth headset can be connected with the XiaoAI smart assistant, meaning you can access the smart assistant’s direct voice wake up feature. The headset offers a rapid connection with Mi mobile phone.

You can get your hands on the feature-laden Xiaomi Air 2 Wireless Earphone for just $79.99 from Giztop by following this link.

Xiaomi Redmi 8A with 6.2-inch HD+ display and 5000mAh battery launched in India

Xiaomi launched Redmi 7A budget smartphone in India in July this year and within month, the company has today launched its successor — Xiaomi Redmi 8A, as expected. The phone will be up for purchase in India by the end of this month.

The smartphone features a 6.22-inch HD+ Dot Notch display that offers 1440 x 720 pixels screen resolution, 19:9 aspect ratio, 2.5D curved glass, and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top.

Redmi 8A

It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 octa-core processor, along with Adreno 505 GPU. The phone comes in two variants — 2GB RAM with 32GB internal storage, and 3GB RAM with 32GB storage.

There’s also a microSD card slot, allowing you to expand the storage capacity up to 512GB. As for the camera department, the device features a 12 MP camera with LED flash, Sony IMX363 sensor, 1.4μm pixel size, f/1.9 aperture, Dual Phase Detection auto focus.

On the front side, the phone comes equipped with an 8 MP snapper for taking selfies and video calling. It also comes with P2i nano-coating, which means that the smartphone is splash resistant.

Connectivity options on the device include Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, and FM Radio. The smartphone is running Android 9 Pie-based MIUI 10 out-of-the-box, and is powered by a 5,000mAh battery that comes with support for 18W fast charging.

The Xiaomi Redmi 8A smartphone is being offered in three colors — Midnight Black, Ocean Blue, and Sunset Red. The 2GB RAM + 32GB storage model is priced at ₹6,499 (~$92) while the 3GB RAM + 32GB storage variant costs ₹6,999 (~$99). It will be available for purchase through Flipkart and Mi Online Store from 29th September.

 

Pre-Order Teclast P10S Tablet PC for Just $120.79 from Banggood [Coupon]

Founded in 1999, Teclast is touted as one of the most popular manufacturers of tablet PCs, smart bands, power banks, USB flash, and laptops.

Teclast P10S tablet PC

Designed for those looking for an entry-level Android tablet that doesn’t cost a bomb, the Teclast P10S comes in EU version, as well as one that works in other areas. Both versions have gone up for pre-order on Banggood.

Teclast P10S Tablet PC

The newfangled tablet PC carries a $140.79 price tag, but you can get an extra $20 off by applying coupon code BGP10S89P at checkout. In other words, you can bring the original asking price of the Teclast P10S down to just $120.79 with the help of the aforesaid coupon, which will be valid from September 23rd to October 10th.

Aside from grabbing a $20 off, Banggood users who spend over $19.99 will be eligible for free shipping. As if that weren’t enough, you even get a free gift if you order Teclast P10S from the activity page before October 10th (UTC +8).

The Teclast P10S sports a 10.1 inch Multi-touch ON CELL LCD IPS sharp screen with a high resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. It packs a powerful Spreadtrum SC9863A 1.6GHz CPU processor, along with a highly competent IMG8322 GPU for 3D graphics acceleration.Teclast P10S SC9863A 2GB RAM 32GB ROM Dual 4G LTE Android 9.0 10.1 Inch Tablet PC

Moreover, the tablet PC ships with 2GB of RAM and offers 32GB of internal storage space to meet your media needs and to enable you to download and run all your favorite apps. On the optics front, the Teclast P10S houses a 5MP camera at the back, and a 2MP front shooter for video calling.

The Teclast P10S runs on Android 9.0 Pie operating system and draws its juices from a 6000mAh battery. Weighing in at just 700 grams, the tablet PC has dimensions of 240x150x15mm.

You can head straight to the activity page and place your pre-order by following this link.

Huawei, OPPO, OnePlus and Realme to soon rollout unified push notifications

The Android Unified Push Alliance has announced that it has received progress confirmation from companies such as Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Guangdong Opal Mobile Communications Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Wanpras Technology Co., Ltd. and Shenzhen Rui Er Mobile Communications Co., Ltd that have completed the development work in accordance with the latest version of the alliance standard “T-UPA0002-2019 unified push interface layer specification.” It means that unified push service will be soon available on smartphones from Huawei, Honor, OPPO, OnePlus and Realme in China.

Unified Push Alliance

Push notifications are an important feature on Android devices. However, Chinese smartphone OEMs provide their own notification systems through their custom ROM instead of Google’s push notifications service. Push notifications can impact the device’s performance by running in background. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China has formed Unified Push Alliance to resolve the issue by unifying push notifications on all Android devices that are sent through different apps. Apart from the companies mentioned above, the alliance has 74 members including Xiaomi, Qihoo 360, Alibaba, JD.com and more.

The alliance was formed to ensure that unified push notifications will allow handsets to receive push messages without waking up apps. It will improve the user experience on Android devices as unified push notifications will consume less memory, standby power and data.

Huawei and Honor will make unified push available on the upcoming EMUI 10. Hence, devices eligible to receive EMUI 10 will be able to take advantage of the unified push feature. OPPO will bring support for it on ColorOS 3.0 and above. By Dec. 31 this year, the company is expected to make it available for 93 percent of its devices.

All Realme devices will receive the feature and OnePlus 5 and above phones will be provided support for unified push service. Other companies like Xiaomi, Vivo and iQOO are also expected to rollout unified push service in the near future.

 

Xiaomi Mi AirDots Pro 2 noise cancelling earphones with Bluetooth 5.0 announced

Xiaomi launched a few products at a recent launch event in China, including the Mi 9 Pro 5G, Mi MIX Alpha concept smartphone, MIUI 11, Mi Full Screen TV Pro, etc. Among all these, the company also announced the Mi AirDots Pro 2 wireless earphones.

The Mi AirDots Pro 2 comes with 14.2mm drivers for better audio output, along with Bluetooth 5.0, LDHC Hi-Res audio codec, smart voice controls, and dual microphones for ENC which means environmental noise cancellation.

Xiaomi Mi AirDots 2 Pro

It connects automatically with smartphones running MIUI when you open the case and pick up the earphones. There are touch controls which enables you to control volume and change tracks.

The device also comes with an infrared sensor for intelligent wear detection so it automatically pauses when you remove them. It has the semi in-ear design to fit the ear canal, making it comfortable to wear and doesn’t fall off easily.

Xiaomi Mi AirDots 2 Pro

Each headset weighs about 4.5 grams and the case weighs 50 grams. As for the battery life, the Mi AirDots Pro 2 offers 4 hours of standalone playback, 14 hours with the case, USB Type-C charging for the case to charge in about 1 hour.

The Xiaomi Mi AirDots Pro 2 comes in White color and is priced at 399 yuan (approximately $56) and will be available for purchase in China from September 27th.

 

Xiaomi could soon launch ‘Mi Watch’ with Google’s Wear OS

When it comes to smart wearables, Xiaomi is one of the first names that run across our mind. Back in the year 2014, the company launched the first-gen Mi Band which due to its inexpensive price tag quickly became a hot seller. Even though Xiaomi has observed worthwhile success with newer generations of the fitness band, it has still not tapped into devices running Wear Os, however, this might change soon.

For readers that are unaware, Wear OS is a version of Google’s Android operating system designed for smartwatches and other wearables.

For Reference: Moto 360 running Wear OS(previously called Android Wear)

According to fresh discoveries by APK insight, a project by 9to5Google, the latest version of Wear OS that is version 2.28 consists of code which clearly suggests that Xiaomi is about to launch a smart wearable running this OS. For reference, the lines of code have been listed below.

Wear OS 2.28

<string name=”xiaomi_companion_name”>Mi Wear</string>

As the code suggests, the upcoming smart wearable lineup from Xiaomi could carry the ‘Mi Wear’ branding. Furthermore, the decompiled OS also includes the keyword ‘Mi Watch’ which could be the name of the first Wear OS running smartwatch from Xiaomi.

Besides, the previous variant of Wear OS which is version 2.26 included the following line of code.

<string name=”baiji_companion_name”>Baiji Companion</string>

The word ‘Baiji’ is used to refer to a species of Chinese dolphin that has now gone extinct. The inclusion of this code gave an impression that Xiaomi would launch a smartwatch with Wear OS in the future and previously highlighted code in the latest version of Wear OS strengthens the claim.

While details about the features or design of the alleged ‘Mi Watch’ are currently unavailable, Xiaomi is expected to maintain its pricing strategy and mark the device at a lucrative price tag.

All in all, the possibility of Xiaomi launching a smartwatch with Wear OS are quite high, though we will have to wait until a company official releases a statement about it.

What features do you feel, Xiaomi should include if it eventually leads such a device? Let us know in the comments below.

(source)

 

OPPO Reno 10X Zoom smartphone confirmed to receive ColorOS 7 update

Earlier this year, OPPO ditched the R-lineup for the flagship smartphones and introduced a new Reno lineup. The OPPO Reno 10X Zoom was the premium offering of the lineup, as the name suggests, with the 10X zoom support.

Now, Shen Yiren, Vice President of OPPO has confirmed through a Weibo post that the Reno 10X Zoom smartphone will be getting the upcoming ColorOS 7 update. This is also the confirmation about the existence of ColorOS 7.

Oppo Reno 10X Zoom ColorOS 7

Apart from the fact that the ColorOS 7 exists and will be rolled out to the company’s flagship smartphones, including the Reno 10X Zoom, there’s nothing much known about this custom Android interface from OPPO.

Coming to the Reno 10X Zoom, the smartphone is available in China in two color options — Fog Sea Green and Extreme Night Black. As for the pricing, the 6GB RAM + 128GB variant costs 3,999 Yuan (~$595) while the 6GB RAM + 256GB storage model is priced at 4,499 Yuan (~$670). The top-end variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage is available for a price of 4,799 Yuan (~$715).

The phone flaunts a 6.6-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with 2340 x 1080 pixels screen resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection on top. It also comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor. The device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 octa-core processor with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

As for the cameras, there’s a triple camera setup on the back where the sensors are placed vertically. It features a 48-megapixel primary lens with optical image stabilisation, a 13-megapixel periscope-type telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and OIS and an 8-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens. As the name indicates, the USP of the phone is the 10X zoom.

On the front side, the smartphone has a “shark fin” shaped pop-up camera module that houses a 16-megapixel selfie snapper with an LED flash. The phone is powered by a 4,065mAh battery and supports 20W VOOC 3.0 Flash Charge technology. The smartphone comes running Android Pie-based ColorOS 6.0 out-of-the-box.

 

Google Pixel 4 XL’s new hands-on shots gives the best look at the upcoming flagship

Google will be announcing the Pixel 4 series of smartphones on Oct. 15. Plenty of leaks have already revealed lot of information on the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL phones. Well ahead of the launch, NextRift has shared top quality hands-on shots of the production unit of the Pixel 4 XL.

The new images seem to belong to the “Clearly White” edition of the Pixel 4 XL. The forehead of the phone is quite thick mainly because it features the Project Soli radar technology that will bring forth touch-free motion control on the device. In comparison to the predecessor, Google has reduced the size of the chin on the Pixel 4 XL. The front and metal frame that has a matte finish are black in color whereas its rear side is white.

The left edge of the Google Pixel 4 XL has the volume rocker. The orange colored power button can be seen on the right side of the device. The publication claims that the rear glass of the Pixel 4 XL has a light matte finish that has a regular glass like appeal. Also, it can resist fingerprint marks.

The “Smooth Display” screen that can be seen above provides a toggle to dynamically adjust between 60 and 90 Hz refresh rate. This indicates that the Pixel 4 XL will be arriving with an OLED display that supports 90 Hz refresh ratev. Through AIDA64 diagnostic tool, it was found that the Pixel 4 XL has a 6.23-inch screen that offers 3040 x 440 pixels resolution.

The tool also revealed that the Pixel 4 XL features Snapdragon 855 mobile platform and 6 GB of RAM. It has a native storage of 128 GB and it is packed with a 3,700mAh battery. The black colored square box at the top-left corner on the rear side of the Pixel 4 XL has three camera sensors and an LED flash. AIDA64 seems to have revealed that its primary lens is of 12.2-megapixel. Previous reports have revealed that the other sensor is a 16-megapixel telephoto lens. On the frontside of the phone is an 8.1-megapixel selfie snapper.

There is Face Unlock feature on the device that works like Apple’s Face ID. It can unlock the phone with face recognition even in darker conditions. The publication has revealed that there is no fingerprint scanner on the device. Camera samples comparison between Pixel 4 XL and Galaxy S10+ shows that the former is able to capture shots with better detail preservation and color reproduction.

 

Feiyu G6 Plus Gimbal Review: A portable and easy-operation camera gimbal

Do you have an interested in taking vlogs? A growing number of people are interested in vlogs. The most important accessory for taking vlog is the camera gimbal, which can hold the camera more stable. And the Feiyu is one of the most famous brands in the industry. We have got the Feiyu G6 Plus gimbal several days ago, let’s take a look.

Unboxing:

There is a Feiyu G6 Plus Gimbal, a rechargeable battery, an USB cable, an adapter for action camera, a carrying bag and an user manual in the package.

Design:

The Feiyu G6 Plus is a 3-axis hand-held gimbal that compatible with GoPro, smartphones, pocket video camera and Micro single lens reflex camera, which maximum payload is 800g in the center of gravity balance. With the 663g empty weight, the G6 Plus gimbal is smaller than most of the camera gimbals, and just a bit bigger than phone gimbals. This portable camera gimbal is made from premium metal material coming with the rubber handle cover, so it has the incredible handheld feeling and comfortable experience.

You can notice that some buttons and a small screen at the grip, and you can do all the controls through the grip, which is convenient and handy. It is easy to start your filming. Install the battery and have a full charged at first. And then install your device in the place with screw. After adjusting the balance, you can press and hold the power button until the Feiyu logo appears. And then you can choose a shooting mode you like through the joystick.

Let’s look at the grip. There are three buttons below the small display, from the top to the bottom, they are a joystick, a function button and a shutter button. On the left side, there is a multifunction knob, which can control the zoom and follow focus of camera.

On the right side, you will notice the setting button and a micro USB port.

Move your eyes to the rear side, an adjustment function button directing camera, and a trigger button is set on here.

Performance:

The Feiyu G6 Plus Gimbal supports 5 shooting modes including a panning mode, a lock mode, a follow mode, selfie switch and an auto-rotation mode. The switch way for these modes is pretty easy: switch between the panning mode and the lock mode with single tap, double tap for the follow mode, triple tap for the selfie switch, quadruple tap for the auto-rotation mode.

Feiyu does a good job on stabilization, the gimbal shows the amazingly smooth and stabilized movements in all modes. I think that the panning mode is not easy to handle, but the Feiyu G6 Plus surprised me. The images and videos keep stabilized with the panning mode.

If you want to take a selfie vlog, the selfie switch is suitable for you. Just click the function button three times in a row, the camera will rotate 180 degree in horizontal. Double tap trigger button can reset to default position. The rotation is fast, smooth and stable that will not affect the quality of shooting.

Battery:

The Feiyu G6 Plus gimbal is fueled by 5000mAh battery, which can be charged by Micro USB port. And the battery can last around 9 to 12 hours. It definitely can support outdoor shooting for a long time.

By the way, the Feiyu brand has their application called Feiyu ON. You can switch the shooting mode, adjust the focus, control the camera direction and edit the images or videos and so on.

Price:

The Feiyu G6 Plus is priced at $269 on their official website. You can click here to get the camera gimbal.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the Feiyu G6 Plus is an incredible gimbal. I like its light weight, easy operation, and stabilization. But I have to say that my arm feels fatigued when I hold the gimbal for a long time. I will more appreciate if the Feiyu brand can launch a lighter camera gimbal.

 

Xiaomi launches the Mi Power Bank 3 50W fast charge version

It was a launch carnival of sort for Xiaomi in China on Tuesday as the company unleashed a number. The star of the moment is unarguably the elegant and sleek Mi Mix Alpha 5G with its stunning 180% screen ratio which extends beyond the edge to the rear panel. The Mi 9 Pro 5G, Mi TV Pro 8K, Mi Air 2 TWS earbud and vertical wireless charger were also announced. Xiaomi also launched the Mi PowerBank 3 50W fast charge version.Mi PowerBank 3 50W fast charge version

As the name implies, the power bank is similar in several aspects to the Mi Power bank 3. The major difference is that it presents with support for 50W fast charging. The power bank packs a 20000mAh capacity battery and with support for Xiaomi’s super flash charging. It also comes with a bulkier build with a dimension of 153.5×73.5×27.5mm.

The power pack is compatible with most digital equipment and can charge three devices at the same time. It features two USB-A ports and a USB-C port. There is also a separate USB-C port for refuelling the power bank. Mi PowerBank 3 50W fast charge version

As for the price, the Mi Power bank 3 50W fast charge version has a price tag of 299 yuan ($42).  There is no word yet on when it will go on sale.

 

Vivo U3x launched in China as rebranded edition of Vivo U10

Earlier today, Vivo had launched the Vivo U10 smartphone in India. It had arrived as the first U-series phone for India. The same phone has discretely gone official in China with a different moniker of Vivo U3x. It carries a price tag of 799 Yuan (~$112).

Vivo U3x Specifications and Features

The Vivo U3x that sports a polycarbonate body with gradient color appeal measures 159.43 x 76.77 x 8.92mm and weighs 190.5 grams. The smartphone is equipped with a 6.35-inch IPS LCD display with a waterdrop notch. It offers HD+ resolution of 720 x 1544 pixels and 19.3:9 aspect ratio.

The Snapdragon 665 mobile platform fuels the Vivo U3x along with up to 4 GB of RAM. The highest variant of the phone has 64 GB of native storage. A dedicated microSD card slot is available on the device. The 5,000mAh battery of the Vivo U3x supports 18W dual-engine flash charge technology from the company.

The front notch of the Vivo U3x has an 8-megapixel lens with f/1.8 aperture. The rear side of the phone is fitted with an LED flash assisted triple camera system. It comprises of a 13-megapixel main lens with f/2.2 aperture, an 8-megapixel wide-angle sensor with f/2.2 aperture and a portrait lens of 2-megapixel with f/2.4 aperture. A fingerpint scanner is placed on the backside of the device. The smartphone also carries support for face unlock.

The FunTouch OS 9.1 based Android 9 Pie OS runs on the Vivo U3x. The smartphone also features Jovi AI assistant and Vivo game box for enhanced gaming experience.

Vivo U3x Price

Like the Vivo U10, the Vivo U3x comes in three models such as 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage, 3 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage. These models are respectively priced at 799 Yuan (~$112), 899 Yuan (~$126) and 999 Yuan (~$140). The three color editions of the Vivo U3x are Deep Lake Blue, Midnight Black and Tea Red. The shipments of the smartphone will begin in China on Sept. 29.