Designed for those who fancy capturing memorable moments from behind the lens, the DJI Osmo Action comes with dual screens that allow you to record your world with just touch of a button.
Its vivid front screen enables you to effortlessly frame yourself in any setting, while the back-mounted screen offers a hyper-responsive display. This versatile action camera adopts advanced technology that lets you live the action rather than worry about equipment.
You can get your hands on the DJI Osmo Action FPV action camera from multiple online stores. We have listed the best online stores where you can buy this highly durable action camera at an unbeatable price, and we’ll also show how you can save a considerable amount of money at checkout.
Banggood
The DJI Osmo Action has gone up for pre-order on Banggood, the Chinese online store known for offering the best bang for your buck! You can pre-order this waterproof FPV action camera for $487.88.
As part of its promo, Banggood will be offering free shipping on orders over $19.99. Moreover, you can earn 487 BG points as well. You can visit this link to place your order; however, note that the processing time is slated for May 29.
While you’d normally end up shelling out $549.99 on the DJI Osmo Action waterproof action camera, GearVita is giving its loyal users an unmissable chance to get a great discount on the feature-laden action camera’s original asking price.
In order to save $100, all you need to do is to apply coupon code RODJOsmo during the check out process. In other words, you can reduce the original asking price of the DJI Osmo Action to just $449.99 with the help of the aforesaid coupon. You can click here to use the coupon.
The DJI OSMO Action FPV Action Camera usually retails for $529.99 on both online as well as offline stores, but you can now buy it for a lowered price of just $429.99 from GeekBuying. You can extend this 19 percent discount by applying coupon code JJUNVGSI.
The coupon brings the already reduced selling price of the DJI OSMO Action to just $419.99. In other words, you can get an extra $10 by applying the coupon before you click the ‘Place Your Order’ button.
You can visit this link to grab the discount. Note that the promo is slated to end in just two days.
The DJI Osmo Action is a must-have action camera for those looking for capturing stable, shake-free footages. The coveted action cam digital camera will set you back $499.99 on Amazon. With only three pieces left in stock, you can head straight to this link to place your order without wasting time.
The DJI OSMO Waterproof FPV Action Camera normally carries a steep $568.70 price tag. Much to the relief of those living on a tight budget, Gearbest is offering a 6 percent off to those whose order exceeds $30.
To avail the discount, all you need to do is to apply coupon code IBXPXH192H during the checkout process. You can follow this link to use the coupon, which is likely to expire soon.
Vivo has confirmed through a Weibo post today that it will be announcing the Vivo Z5x smartphone in China on May 24 at 19:30PM (local time). The launch poster has no details on the specs of the phone. However, recent reports have revealed some of its information such as display size and capacity of its battery. Also, the Geekbench appearance of the phone has revealed that it will be powered by the Snapdragon 710 chipset.
Leaked live shots of the Vivo Z5x handset that have appeared in the recent past revealed that it will be arriving as the company’s first smartphone with a punch-hole display. Also, one of the teasers of the phone further confirms that it will be flaunting a punch-hole screen.
Rumors have it that it could be featuring a 6.53-inch IPS LCD display that will probably carry support for full HD+ resolution. The handset is rumored to house a 5,000mAh battery and still sport a slim profile of around 8mm. There is no confirmation on whether the phone will be equipped with fast charging. Probably, the handset could be arriving with a rear mounted triple camera setup. The Chinese text that can be seen on the Vivo Z5x launch poster states that it will be a performance-driven smartphone.
Vivo Z5x Geekbench Listing
The Vivo Z5x that has a model number of V1911A has appeared on Geekbench today (spotted first by MySmartPrice) to reveal that it will be fueled by the Snapdragon 710 mobile platform. The SoC will be coupled with 8 GB of RAM. The phone will come loaded with Android 9 Pie OS that will be skinned with the latest edition of FunTouch OS UI. In the single-core and multi-core tests of Geekbench, the Vivo Z5x has respectively scored 1848 and 5915 points.
As of this writing, there is no information available on the price tag of the Vivo Z5x phone. The smartphone is now up for reservations in China through the official website. Hopefully, the rumor mill will reveal more information on the Vivo Z5x before its launch date.
After South Korea started rolling out 5G services, it’s now China’s turn to start offering 5G services to its customers. As per new reports, China is all set to kick-off its 5G rollout in the first phase from 1st October, which covers about 40 cities.
Michael Gao Wenhao, Deputy General Manager of ZTE‘s 5G industrial product line, appeared at the Hong Kong 5G Forum of the Hong Kong Productivity Council headquarters and said that China plans to start commercialization of 5G technology nationwide from October 1st.
As per the reports, the base stations for the 5G rollout in Mainland China are expected to be provided by three companies — Huawei, ZTE, and Ericsson. With this, China will become one of the first countries to offer commercialized 5G.
The report adds that by 1st October, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom will deploy 30,000 to 50,000 base stations in around 40 cities in China for the 5G services. The 5G deployment in 40 cities is a big task and compared to the USA and South Korea, China will have wider 5G coverage.
Last month, after various estimations and calculations, China’s first 5G network went live in the Qianhai-Shekou Free Trade Zone in country’s southern tech hub Shenzhen. China’s state telecom carrier China Unicom built 111 5G base stations by joining hands with FTZ (Free Trade Zone) in Shenzhen.
It will help the companies and locals to enjoy and experience the new technology. The low latency and higher speeds will lead to improved opportunities and will boost tech startups and companies. The capacity will be gradually increased to 7,000 base stations across Shenzhen before 2020.
China Unicom has been testing 5G network in Beijing, Tianjin, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chengdu, Fuzhou, Zhenzhou and Shenyang. On the other hand, China Mobile is aiming to bring 5G network in multiple cities and is also planning to build around 10,000 5G base stations by the year 2020.
Google confirmed yesterday that the upcoming Huawei phones won’t be featuring Google apps and services. The search engine giant took this decision after Huawei was recently added by the US Commerce Department to the list of companies that are banned from trading. Fresh information reveals that the US has delayed the ban by 90 days starting today allowing Android OS updates to be certified on existing Huawei and Honor phones.
According to Reuters, during the temporary license period of 90 days, Huawei can buy components made by the US companies in a bid to maintain existing networks and also for delivering software updates for existing Huawei devices. However, the Chinese firm is restricted from placing new orders for parts and components from the US firms to build new devices without seeking license approvals that are most likely to be denied.
For telecommunications providers that depend on Huawei equipment, the delay in ban will provide them with time for making other arrangements. The US Commerce Department said that it will review whether to delay the ban beyond 90 days.
During the 90 days, Huawei will be able to certify software updates with Google for currently available smartphones and tablets. Huawei’s sub-brand Honor will be launching the Honor 20 and Honor 20 Pro flagship phones today through an unveil event in London. The owners of the Honor 20 duo and the Mate X foldable smartphone will be able to use Google services since they have been already certified by it. However, the future remains bleak for devices releasing later this year.
Huawei and Honor will be launching new flagship phones in the second half of the year. Hopefully, Huawei and China can come to an agreement with the US government soon so that the upcoming devices from the Chinese firm continue to feature Google apps and services.
Huawei is the world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker and it has a huge advantage over its competitors in the upcoming 5G mobile technology. However, US intelligence considers Huawei a national security threat and does not want US firms to buy or sell to the Chinese firm without seeking approval from the government. Companies like Qualcomm, Broadcom, Intel, Xilinx and more have reportedly stopped supplying components and services to Huawei. A recent report had claimed that in preparations to trade war uncertainties, Huawei has already stockpiled crucial components for up to 12 months.
South Korean tech giant LG has announced its own artificial intelligence (AI) chip for smart home products. This comes as the firm’s mobile division continues to struggle, apparently in a bid to consolidate on its dominance in the growing smart home product sector. This move will see the company ditch chips that deliver AI or machine learning (ML) from established names like Intel, ARM and Nvidia and even start-ups like Graphcore, Cerebras and Wave Computing.
The AI chip, according to LG, has its own neural engine that will speed up the deep-learning algorithms used in its future smart home devices. The smart home products include robot vacuum cleaners, washing machines, refrigerators and air conditioners. The chip doesn’t require an internet connection to work since it has on-device processing capability. It also features “a separate hardware-implemented security zone” to store personal data.
LG stated in an announcement that; “The AI Chip incorporates visual intelligence to better recognize and distinguish space, location, objects and users while voice intelligence accurately recognizes voice and noise characteristics while product intelligence enhances the capabilities of the device by detecting physical and chemical changes in the environment.”
The Korean giant also joins other companies like Facebook, Amazon and Apple which are all reported to be working on AI and ML chipsets for specific purposes. In LG’s case, its solution is customized for smarter home devices and we don’t need to look further than the books to find out why. The company’s home appliance unit recorded its highest quarter of sales and profit to date this last quarter. Last year’s annual profit of $2.4 billion saw some amazing results for its home appliance and home entertainment units. These are two core areas of focus for AI.
X-traordinary, X-cellent, X-citing! To celebrate the X-Men franchise and the release of X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Xiaomi is thrilled to announce that #RedmiNote7 has partnered with the movie X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Can’t wait to see the movie in cinemas! #XMenDay#DarkPhoenix@XMenmoviespic.twitter.com/ykzue6GCKb
The announcement which was first made last week on Twitter revealed the “Redmi Note 7 partnership” with the blockbuster movie. Last Friday, the account began choosing lucky winners to attend a special fan event on Wednesday, May 22, in Central London at 6 PM.
Calling all X-Men fans: it's time to #UnleashYourPower! Thanks to X-Men: Dark Phoenix, we're giving away 2 tickets to an exclusive fan event featuring special guests, fun activities and a sneak peek at the new film. Let us know your favourite X-Men for your chance to win! pic.twitter.com/l4K5YIcxS9
The tweet says the event will feature special guests, fun activities, and a sneak peek at the new film. There is no mention of a special edition Redmi Note 7, so don’t get your hopes high.
Xiaomi’s Mi MIX 3 5G was announced back at MWC in February. The phone not only comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X50 5G modem but also replaces the Snapdragon 845 processor in the non-5G model with the newer Snapdragon 855 chipset and packs a bigger battery.
If you live in Spain or Italy, you will be able to purchase the Mi MIX 3 5G starting this Thursday, May 23. The announcement was made on Twitter by Xiaomi‘s head of Western Europe.
Big announcement as we start our Monday….#MiMIX3 5G will go on sale in Spain and Italy on May 23!
The Mi MIX 3 5G is priced at €599 (€699.90 in Italy) for the variant with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of UFS 2.1 storage. It comes in Sapphire Blue and Onyx Black. The purchase page on the official Xiaomi Spain website lists only the blue variant and reveals sales will commence at 13:00 local time.
The Mi MIX 3 5G has a 6.39-inch FHD+ display with a 93.4% screen-to-body ratio. It is able to achieve this as a result of its slider (magnetic) design. Pull it down and you are greeted by 24MP + 2MP dual front-facing cameras, the earpiece, and LED flash; parts that will usually be housed on a bezel.
Samsung’s user interface has undergone two major changes in less than 5 years. It originally started as TouchWiz before transforming into Samsung Experience and has now evolved into One UI. New Samsung phones now launch with One UI and older phones getting updated to Android Pie also get the new user interface. Interestingly, Samsung is now rolling out the new interface to its smartwatches too.
There are reports that the Galaxy Watch, Gear S3, and the Gear Sport are receiving a new update that brings One UI. The update not only brings a new user interface but also new watch features too.
There are new watch faces, a Quick Panel, support for downloading new designs of watch faces, battery optimizations, faster workout tracking, support for outdoor swimming tracking, and more. In addition, you can now wake up your watch by touching the screen and you get a notification if your heart rate crosses the set limit.
The long-anticipated trade ban by the US government on Huawei has sadly arrived and apart from the company, this development will hurt millions of fans and Huawei users globally. A handful of Huawei fans are even in the US and that number could have gone up to several million by now, if not for the blockade of the deal between Huawei and US carrier AT&T. While the trade ban will eventually have some effects on Huawei which is already on course to become the world’s largest phone vendor by 2020, there are indications that Huawei has been preparing for Trump’s “Doomsday” executive order for a while now.
The ban also certainly affects Huawei’s Honor brand
According to an exclusive report on Nikkei Asian Review, Huawei had informed its global suppliers six months ago that it wanted to build up a stock of crucial components that would last for up to a year, in preparation for trade war uncertainties. The Chinese giant was also making moves to secure new sources that wouldn’t be affected by a US embargo. Another option in the works is to ramp up efforts at becoming more self-reliant, Nikkei Asian Review quoted sources familiar with the plans to have hinted.
The news agency also cited multiple sources to have hinted that Huawei had started preparations for the already existing worst-case scenario, about six months ago. Plans cut across several key components, extending beyond chips to include passive components and optical parts. For some components that are subject to higher risks of export controls, Huawei has stockpiled six months’ to more than a year’s worth of supply, while holding at least three months’ worth of less crucial ones, the sources said.
In addition, Huawei which is currently the world’s second-largest smartphone vendor reportedly started certifying more chips, optical components, camera-related technologies and other parts suppliers based outside the US at the beginning of this year. The US may also try to get allies to get companies domiciled in their countries to ban sales of components to Huawei. This may likely not happen since the US Trade ban isn’t hinged on any evidence of wrongdoing. This is just another battlefield in the lingering US-China Trade war. How well can Huawei weather this raging storm and what further options does it have? Read Joel’s take on the ban to find out more.
Today, Xiaomi launched a brand new version of the Redmi Note 7 in the Indian market. Its name is Redmi Note 7S, but in the Android world, it is nothing new. The new variant is nothing more than the Indian version of the vanilla Redmi Note 7 launched in the global market. Compared to the Indian version of Note 7, it comes with a slightly better specs sheet, but also with a higher price. Is the new handset worth the money asked or it is better to save some bucks and go for the standard Note 7 which became a best-seller in just a few months? Let’s find it out with an in-depth specs comparison.
Dual 48 and 5 MP f/1.8 and f/2.2
13 MP f/2.0 front camera
Dual 12 and 2 MP f/2.2 and f/2.4
13 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY
4000 mAh
Fast charging 18W
4000 mAh, Fast Charging 18W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Hybrid Dual SIM slot
Hybrid Dual SIM slot
Design
Redmi Note 7 and 7S do not differ in terms of design. Both have very nice aesthetics composed of an elegant glass back available in gradient colors and a less impressive plastic frame, but it is hard to distinguish it from metal frames. Both the display and the glass back are protected by Gorilla Glass 5, and the phones are also splash resistant, despite they do not have an official IP certification guaranteeing for it. The screen-to-body ratio is very high thanks to the waterdrop notch and a pretty thin chin under the display, even though it is not the highest you can find in the whole midrange segment.
Display
The display of the Redmi Note 7 and 7S is an average IPS panel with a size of 6.3 inches and a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. Most of the mid-rangers in the actual smartphones market come with display panels with those specifications, so it is nothing impressive but it is also a pretty satisfying screen. Given that it is not an OLED panel and actual IPS displays do not support in-display fingerprint scanner, the fingerprint reader of these phones is placed on the rear side.
Specs & Software
The hardware department is composed of a midrange-class Snapdragon 660 chipset running at a max frequency of 2.2 GHz and an amount of RAM and internal storage which varies depending on the chosen configuration. Both the vanilla Redmi Note 7 and the Redmi Note 7S are equipped with up to 4 GB of RAM and up to 64 GB of internal storage which you can furtherly expand with a micro SD. Performances are more than sufficient in every scenario, gaming included. Both come with Android 9 Pie out of the box, customized by the MIUI 10 user interface.
Camera
The only important difference between Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7S in the specs sheet is the camera department. The vanilla Redmi Note 7 has a main camera department composed of a 12 MP main sensor and a 2 MP depth sensor, while Redmi Note 7S has a 48 MP main camera with a brighter aperture and a 5 MP depth sensor. The difference is abyssal in every light condition as the amount of detail is way higher and the digital noise is much inferior. The 48 MP Quad Bayer sensor makes the difference in every kind of photo clicked from the rear cameras. The front camera remains exactly the same: an average 13 MP module with an f/2.0 aperture. Apart from this, Redmi Note 7 and 7S share the same specs sheet, but given the huge difference between cameras, Xiaomi opted for another name to identify the better variant.
The battery comes with a capacity of 4000 mAh and it can reach two days of usage even with pretty intensive user experience. Further, Redmi Note 7 and Note 7S support fast charging with the Quick Charge 4 technology and a power of 18W. However, the charger included in the box is a standard 10W charger so you will have to buy a more powerful charger separately in order to take advantage of the fast charging technology.
Price
You can currently grab a unit of the Redmi Note 7 in India for about €128/$142 in the standard variant, while the Redmi Note 7S costs about €140/$156. In our opinion, you should go ahead and spend those few bucks more to get the Redmi Note 7S, but keep in mind that the only big difference is in the camera department, so if you do not care about the camera at all, you will get essentially the same device.
The OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro come with OxygenOS 9.5. While it is still based on Android Pie, it brings new features not available (yet) to older OnePlus phones. Two of those features are Screen Recorder and Zen Mode.
AndroidPolice reports that the Zen Mode feature works on older OnePlus devices once you install the APK. The same also applies to the Screen Recorder. So all you are required to do is grab the APKs on APK Mirror and install them.
They did say both apps will not show in your app drawer. You will have to open the Quick Settings toggles and look for Screen Recorder/Zen Mode, then drag the tiles up to your existing ones. You can then launch them from there, grant permissions and set them up for the first time use.
The Redmi Note 7 is becoming a best-seller in the global market, but in India, the handset lacks its most impressive feature: the 48 MP camera. Finally, Xiaomi put a remedy to this by launching a more advanced version of the device in the Indian peninsula: the Redmi Note 7S. Will this variant be enough to beat the strong competition from the other big brands in India? Among the hardest devices to beat there are the new Realme 3 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy M20 which are doing very well in India and we believe they will do even better. Here is a complete specs comparison between the three candidate best-sellers of 2019!
Redmi Note 7S vs Samsung Galaxy M20 vs Realme 3 Pro
Dual 13 + 5 MP f/1.9 and f/2.2
8 MP f/2.0 front camera
Dual 48 + 5 MP f/1.8 and f/2.4
13 MP front camera
Dual 16 + 5 MP f/1.7 and f/2.4
25 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY
5000 mAh
4000 mAh, fast charging
4045 mAh, fast charging 20W with VOOC 3.0
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Dual SIM slot
Hybrid Dual SIM slot
Dual SIM slot
Design
While I do not like the Samsung Galaxy M20 that much, Realme 3 Pro and Redmi Note 7 looks very gorgeous in renders. But there is a major difference between them once you hold them: the materials. While the Realme 3 Pro has a cheap plastic body, the Redmi Note 7S has a way better glass back protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5. The glass back makes it way more beautiful and premium. On the other hand, Realme 3 Pro has a higher screen-to-body ratio, so narrower bezels around the display. But I personally think that having a phone with better materials is more important than having slimmer display bezels. Do you agree?
Display
Samsung devices, especially mid-rangers, usually distinguished from the mass due to their better display panels. Unfortunately, that is not the case with the Samsung Galaxy M20. In order to sell the device at a more competitive price, the Korean giant cut on the display by equipping this budget-friendly device with a TFT panel. So the Galaxy M20 is not the device you should look for if you need the best display. On the other side, Redmi Note 7 and Realme 3 Pro come with average IPS panels. Our suggestion is not to choose your preferred device by basing on the display quality which is not so different between these handsets.
Specs & Software
The hardware is probably the department which will influence a big part of the public while choosing which of these mid-rangers to purchase. The handset which offers the best overall performance is the Realme 3 Pro as it comes with a more powerful SoC. We are referring to the Snapdragon 710 by Qualcomm which comes with better CPU and GPU compared to both its rivals. The second place goes to the Redmi Note 7S which is equipped with the old but gold Snapdragon 660, still a great alternative to the Snapdragon 710 on its price range. Realme 3 Pro also comes in the best memory configuration with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage, so there is no chance for Redmi Note 7S and Samsung Galaxy M20 to beat it.
Camera
The clear winner when it comes to the camera department is the Redmi Note 7S. As mentioned above, rear cameras are the key feature of this mid-ranger. It boasts a main 48 MP sensor which provides a higher level of detail if we compare it with the concurrency, as well as a secondary depth sensor. But the Samsung Galaxy M20 remains an interesting camera phone as it is the only to feature an ultrawide secondary sensor, so do not underestimate it. If we talk about the front camera, then Realme 3 Pro wins the comparison due to its way better 25 MP sensor.
Battery
The battery king in this comparison is the Samsung Galaxy M20 with its huge 5000 mAh unit. If you do not put it too much under load, it can even reach and pass three days of battery life on a single charge.
Price
Redmi Note 7S debuted with a price starting from about €140/$155, while Realme 3 Pro starts from €200/$225 just like the Samsung Galaxy M20. Overall, I personally prefer the Realme 3 Pro because of its better chipset, but the Redmi Note 7S has a very high value for money.
The OnePlus 7 Pro is just a couple of days old since it was launched but the device already looks like one that would upset the balance in the mobile phone market. According to a post by Twitter tipster Ice Universe (@UniverseIce), the OnePlus 7 Pro is very popular in China with consumers placing pre-orders on more than one million units of the phone. The tipster hinted that the pre-orders were far higher than initial stocking. He also hinted that some Samsung users were planning to sell their Galaxy S10 in order to pick up the OnePlus 7 Pro.
Oneplus 7 Pro
While it is common practice to see buyers trade their old phone for a new release, swapping the Galaxy S10 for the OnePlus 6 Pro is quite surprising. The OnePlus 7 Pro is no doubt a solid phone but we doubt if it surpasses the Galaxy S10 is any aspect apart from the 90Hz refresh rate display and perhaps, the pop-up selfie camera. The Galaxy S10 offers IP68 water and dustproof build and that is absent on the OP7 Pro, even though the phone seems to have some waterproofing. Moreso, the Galaxy S10 offers wireless charging and even the OneUI onboard looks more appealing to hardcore fans of Sammy than OnePlus’ Oxygen or Hydrogen OS.
However, some may find the OnePlus 7 Pro design more appealing due to the pop-up selfie shooter. The device isn’t so cheap this time around but it costs less than the Galaxy S10. Both models are powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 855 chipset. So, we don’t see this action purportedly happening in China become a trend. OnePlus models were hitherto cheaper alternatives to more expensive Samsung, Apple and Huawei flagships. That isn’t reflected in the OP7 Pro pricing.
The Honor 8S (KSE-LX9) launched in Russia last month. It is an entry-level phone with a Dewdrop HD+ display and a pretty nice dual-textured back. It appears the phone will be launching in China soon, as two Honor phones with model numbers KSA-AL00 and KSA-TL00 with the same specs as the Honor 8S have appeared on TENAA.
The Honor KSA-AL00 was first seen on China’s 3C website back in January but then it wasn’t revealed to be an Honor-branded device.
The phone will have a 5.71-inch 1520 x 720 display. There is no image but since this is definitely the Honor 8S, we know it has a Dewdrop notch.
There is a 2.0GHz quad-core processor under the hood which is the Helio A22 and it is paired with 2GB/3GB of RAM and 16GB/32GB of storage. A MicroSD card (dedicated slot for the 8S) will allow you add up to an extra 512GB of storage. We really want to know if there is anyone willing to put such a large capacity storage card in this entry-level device.
The Honor KSA-AL00 will have a single 13MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie camera. It should also have Face Unlock since it is missing a fingerprint scanner.
The phone runs Android 9 Pie (with EMUI 9 on top) and has a 2920mAh battery. It will come in gold, black, and blue, weigh 146 grams and measure 147.13 x 70.78 x 8.45 millimeters.
It’s been just a month since Galaxy S10 launch, and the Korean giant has even started the developement of Galaxy S11. According to Twitter leakster Ice Universe, Samsung has codenamed the Galaxy S11 ‘Picasso,’ after the famous Spanish painter. Unfortunately, the reason behind such a creative name is unknown. The new codename is in line with the Galaxy Note 10’s codename of ‘Da Vinci.’
Galaxy S10 Back
The new codename suggests the presence of some artistic features on the Galaxy S11. It would be interesting to know the final output by the end of this year via some renders and leaks.
The Galaxy S11 will carry various new advancements over the Galaxy S10. The Korean giant is known to be working on the “full-screen” Infinity display without any punch hole or sliders. It is expected to feature a fully bezel-less design with the under-display camera. It could come up with the processor developed on EUV-based 5 nm FinFET process technology.
Huawei has been under the US government’s radar for quite some time now. It all started off with the US government foiling the company’s plans to enter the US with AT&T’s support early last year. Huawei’s relationship with the US government has since worsened and hit its lowest point last Wednesday after US President Trump signed an executive order adding Huawei to the Entity list, which is basically a list of companies that pose a national security risk. This order bans US companies from buying or selling to Huawei without approval from the government.
What’s Happening Right Now With Huawei?
Following the executive order from Trump, US companies have started to cut off the supply of its hardware and software services to Huawei.
For Huawei users' questions regarding our steps to comply w/ the recent US government actions: We assure you while we are complying with all US gov't requirements, services like Google Play & security from Google Play Protect will keep functioning on your existing Huawei device.
“Huawei will continue to provide security updates and after-sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphone and tablet products, covering those that have been sold and that are still in stock globally.
We will continue to build a safe and sustainable software ecosystem, in order to provide the best experience for all users globally.
Huawei has made substantial contributions to the development and growth of Android around the world. As one of Android’s key global partners, we have worked closely with their open-source platform to develop an ecosystem that has benefitted both users and the industry.”
What Happens To Existing Huawei and Honor Users?
No need to panic yet. Huawei will continue to provide security updates and after sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphones and tablets. This includes the units that are still in stock with retailers.
Google Play Store and Play Protect will continue to be available on existing Huawei devices. However, it remains to be seen whether a future update to Play services will cause Huawei phones to lose Play certification.
Also, the company hasn’t mentioned support for products that are yet to be shipped. This could be an indication that Huawei is yet to finalize how to proceed with this trade ban.
Who Else Is Following The Trade Ban?
Basically, all US companies have to comply with this executive order. In this regard, companies like Qualcomm, Micron, Qorvo, Skyworks, Intel, Xilinx, and even Broadcom have reportedly stopped supplying their products and services to Huawei.
A couple of weeks back, Huawei had officially revealed that it had 30 US companies as its core suppliers. Losing supply from all of them at once is definitely a big blow. It won’t be easy finding replacements for all of them.
What Can Huawei Do Right Now?
Huawei has been preparing for this eventuality for a while now. After seeing ZTE suffer from a trade ban last year, Huawei has been stockpiling components for up to a year’s supply. However, there are some key components that you can’t really stock up in advance.
As for things that it can’t really stock up, like Google’s Play services, the company has been reportedly working on alternate options. Huawei has long been reported to be working on an alternate OS to Android, specifically made for such an eventuality. The details are scarce at the moment, however, the company had mentioned a few months back that it would use it as the very last resort.
This might just be the time for this last resort, but personally, I think, Huawei would want to stick to Android for a foreseeable future.
Why It Makes Sense For Huawei To Stick With Android?
Android is currently the world’s largest smartphone operating system. The OS has a market share upwards of 70%. No other OS comes close to this figure, not even Apple’s iOS! It’s clear that consumers prefer Android over most other alternatives out there.
Also, history hasn’t been kind to new entrants in this industry. Windows Mobile, Firefox Os, Ubuntu have all tried to capture a share of the smartphone market but failed miserably. So, the question comes to whether Huawei can risk shifting all its phones to a brand new OS?
Huawei’s smartphones run Android based EMUI
With hundreds of competent Android smartphone options in the market right now, shifting to a non-Huawei phone won’t be a big deal for a consumer. Most users like familiarity. So, even if Huawei is the second largest smartphone maker in the world, it would be hard for the company to urge customers to stick with them with a brand new operating system.
On the other hand, it can stick to Android AOSP by leveraging its experience in China, where Google services are non-existent. China has a lot of app stores for Android, including Huawei’s own. But most of the apps cater to the Chinese audience and are not known to the western world.
Huawei’s biggest challenge here is how to bring relevant apps to its western users. For this, it will have to tie up with an existing app store with a lot of apps that it can open up for its users. It’s not going to be easy, but Huawei does have experience working with non-Google app stores and could make it work.
What’s The Best Case Scenario For Huawei Now?
Personally, I think the best case scenario for Huawei right now is to get this trade ban reversed. ZTE, a company which was found guilty of violating Iran and North Korea sanctions, managed to survive a similar ordeal last year.
Huawei’s case is even better. The US Government doesn’t really have any credible evidence against the company right now. So, the two economic giants, US and China should be able to come out with a compromise in the near future.
Huawei also has products like the Matebook which runs on US-based Microsoft’s Windows OS
Honestly, I think China has to play the long game right now. Coming to a compromise with the US is probably in its best interest, especially when it’s on the path to becoming a 5G and AI leader. Huawei is already the world’s largest telecommunication equipment provider and leads in 5G technology patents too. It’s all set to dethrone Samsung to become the world’s largest smartphone maker by 2020.
If Huawei and China can work a deal with Trump’s Government, this trade ban would have been all but a minor hurdle in its plans to become the global technology leader. However, if this goes on for a while, Huawei and China have got a lot to lose.
To conclude, all I would say is that trade war is usually a double-edged sword. Both the parties will lose out on something, so it all comes down to which party can afford to lose more. It’s never in the interest of the consumers, so in the long run, we are losing out on healthy partnerships, technology sharing, and innovation, which have been the elements that bolstered the smartphone industry to what it is today!
The Vivo Y series will be expanding with the addition of two new members. Specifications and pricing for the two phones which are reported to be called the Vivo Y12 and Vivo Y15 have leaked.
Vivo Y12
The Vivo Y12 will have a 6.35-inch HD+ display. It will be powered by MediaTek’s MT6762 octa-core processor which is also known as the Helio P22. The phone will be available in two configurations – 3GB RAM + 64GB and 4GB RAM + 32GB. There should be a MicroSD card slot for storage expansion.
The Vivo Y12 will have a triple camera setup which is made up of a 13MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide angle camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. It will have an 8MP front-facing camera too.
The phone will pack a massive 5000mAh battery but sadly, will have no fast charging technology.
Vivo Y15
The Vivo Y15 will have the same display and resolution as the Y12. It will also come with the same Helio P22 processor but have 4GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in storage.
Vivo is also using the same triple camera configuration of the Y12 for it. The phone will have a 16MP selfie-camera to distinguish it from the Y12. However, it will pack the same 5000mAh battery as the already launched Vivo Y17 but without its Dual-Engine fast charging technology.
Both the Vivo Y12 and Vivo Y15 are expected to come with FunTouch OS 9 based on Android Pie out of the box. An image of both phones shows they will have rear-mounted fingerprint scanners. They should also have support for Face Unlock.
At the beginning of this month, a Lenovo phone with model number L38111 was approved by China’s TENAA authority. In April, it was certified by Bluetooth SIG and China’s 3C body. Rumors are rife that it could be the upcoming Lenovo K6 Note (2019) phone. Today, the same phone has appeared on Geekbench to confirm some of its key specs.
Through TENAA it was revealed that the Lenovo L38111 is powered by an octa-core processor that clocks at 2.2 GHz. Its Geekbench listing has revealed that it is equipped with the Snapdragon 710 mobile platform. The SoC is supported by 6 GB of RAM and the device runs on Android 9 Pie OS. In the single-core and multi-core tests of Geekbench, the Lenovo L38111 has respectively scored 856 and 6085 points. The 3C appearance of the Lenovo L38111 had confirmed that it carries support for 18W rapid charging.
On May 22, Lenovo will be launching the Lenovo Z6 Youth Edition in China. Recent reports have revealed that it has a model number of L78121. The smartphone has not appeared on TENAA yet, but the Chinese firm has confirmed some of its key specs. The handset features a HDR10 complaint display with waterdrop notch. The glass bodied phone is equipped with AI driven triple rear cameras. It is equipped with a 4,050mAh battery that supports fast charging through USB-C. Since Lenovo Group VP Chang Cheng had recently claimed that the company will be launching a smartphone with a new Snapdragon chipset which is not available in the market yet, it is speculated that the Lenovo Z6 Youth Edition could be featuring the Snapdragon 730G SoC.
There is a possibility that Lenovo may launch more than phone through Wednesday’s event. Apart from debuting the Lenovo Z6 Youth Edition, it may unveil the purported Lenovo K6 Note 2019. According to TENAA, the alleged K6 Note 2019 features a full HD+ 6.3-inch display with waterdrop notch. It could be featuring a battery of around 4,000mAh capacity.
The triple camera setup of the phone features a 16-megapixel primary senor. For shooting selfies, it could be equipped with an 8-megapixel front camera. It may come in 3 GB, 4 GB and 6 GB RAM variants that may respectively feature 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB of native storage.
Xiaomi is the world’s second largest wearable maker after Apple. The Chinese electronics maker shipped more than 10 million Mi Band 3 units in less than seven months since its launch. Xiaomi is continually improving its portfolio and is now expected to launch the fourth generation Mi Band soon. Various leaks and reports have already revealed most of its specifications and features. It recently appeared on Bluetooth SIG uncovering almost every hardware detail.
Now a few more details have emerged in a new leak. According to the leak, Mi Band 4 will ditch the monochrome display and will come with a colored screen featuring a more attractive UI. To withstand the colored display power requirements, Mi Band 4 will see a 135 mAh battery instead of 110 mAh on Mi Band 3. The new fitness band will come with Bluetooth 5.0 for improved connectivity across multiple devices. It is a significant upgrade over the Mi Band 3 which uses Bluetooth 4.2.
The Mi Band 4 will come in two different versions – one with NFC bearing model number XMSH08HM and the standard non-NFC version with model number XMSH07HM. Both bands will support Bluetooth 5.0 having better power efficiency, greater range, and stronger connection.
It will come with an improved “Heart Rate Monitoring” system. Mi Band 4 NFC version is expected for the price of 499 Yuan (~$72) whereas the standard version will remain between 200-300 Yuan (~$28-$43). Launch detail is not available at the moment.
The Honor 20 series still launches tomorrow in London. No, the launch hasn’t been canceled even with the recent happenings between the US Government and the Chinese tech giant.
Last weekend, the official Honor Weibo account released a poster that not only confirms the launch dates of the phone in London and China but also teases a partnership with the upcoming X-Men: Dark Phoenix movie.
The teaser poster shows the Honor 20 (not sure if it is the standard or the Pro model) in the background and a picture of Jean Gray, the character the Dark Phoenix movie is centered around.
The text on the poster confirms the release date of the movie which is on the 6th of June, and the launch of the phones (May 21 in London and May 31 in Shanghai).
The Weibo post confirms the Honor 20 series will have quad cameras. It also states that Honor will be giving away 50 tickets to lucky winners to see the movie. However, there is no clear mention of a special Dark Phoenix edition Honor 20 phone.
In other news, camera samples of the Honor 20 Pro have surfaced. The pictures were taken at the Cannes Film Festival. What do you think of the pictures?
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