Not a week goes by without at least one product announcement. Last week was packed with the launch of new phones from TCL, Sony, and ZTE as well as a new computer from Microsoft and a few new smartwatches. If you missed out on these announcements, then here is your chance to get up to speed with this recap of the top stories from last week:

LG Wing gets a massive price cut in India (and the US)

The LG Wing was the last major device from LG Mobile before it announced its exit from the smartphone business. This dual-screen device which launched for Rs 69,990 (~$940) in India is now available for less than half the price at Rs 29,999 (~$401). In the US, you can grab the phone for $600 (from T-Mobile) which is still a significant cut from its $999 launch price.

If you are wondering if this is a good buy, maybe the fact that there is practically no device like this will convince you. Also, even though it is no longer making phones, LG has promised that it will update the Wing through to Android 13. That is three OS upgrades in total as the phone launched with Android 10 out of the box.

Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop 4 comes in blue

If you are a fan of Microsoft’s Surface lineup, then you will like the new Surface Laptop 4. The new notebook is available in two sizes – 13.5 inches and 15-inches – and in Intel and AMD variants. There is also a new blue color that is exclusive to the 13.5-inch model. Microsoft also announced a couple of hardware to enhance your work from experience.

ZTE Axon 30 Pro and Axon 30 Ultra are the latest Chinese flagships

ZTE announced two new flagships last week – the Axon 30 Pro and the Axon 30 Ultra. Both are powered by the Snapdragon 888 processor and run MyOS based on Android 11, and that is pretty much where their similarities end.

The Ultra has a curved display with a 144Hz refresh rate, four rear cameras with three being 64MP sensors, a 4600mAh battery, and support for 66W fast charging. The Pro model has a flat display and drops the refresh rate to 120Hz refresh rate. It also has four rear cameras but only two of them are 64MP sensors and its battery is smaller at 4200mAh and charges slower at 55W.

Sony’s new Xperia flagships bring new camera features but no price tags yet

Sony also announced two new flagship phones last week – the Xperia 1 III and the Xperia 5 III. The new phones are the first in the industry to have a telephoto camera that can switch between two focal lengths (70mm and 105mm for 2.9x and 4.4x optical zoom). They both have a MicroSD card slot and audio jack, two features you will hardly find on a flagship these days. Sony has also increased the battery capacity and charging speed in both phones when compared to their predecessors.

If you don’t want a flagship, then there is the Xperia 10 III, a Snapdragon 690-powered phone. It has an OLED display like its more powerful siblings but drops the 120Hz high refresh rate for the standard 60Hz. While its battery capacity is the same at 4500mAh, it charges slower at 18W compared to the 30W the other two support.

New TCL 20 phones but the TCL Fold ‘n Roll is the device we want but can’t have

TCL announced new models for its TCL 20 series. There are four new models, all with impressive displays for their price range but the highlight of the launch was the TCL Fold ‘n Roll, a concept phone that has a display that not only unfolds but also unrolls.

New smartwatches

Huami announced an eSIM version of the Amazfit GTR 2 but it is exclusive to China for now. boAt, India’s leading wearable maker has a new square-faced watch called the Xplorer but it doesn’t have a temperature sensor like the new Timex Fit smartwatch and Mobvoi’s TicWatch GTH. ZTE also announced a leather version of its Watch GT smartwatch.

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The post Top stories from last week: ZTE and Sony announce new flagships, TCL’s new foldable concept phone is lit, Microsoft has a new Surface Laptop, and more appeared first on Gizmochina.

ZTE will announce the Axon 30 series on Thursday, April 15. Three phones are expected to be announced, and ahead of the launch, the manufacturer has released the color variants the Axon 30 Pro and Axon 30 Ultra will be available in.

The Axon 30 will come in two color variants – Obsidian Black and “Misty Rain Blue”. The former is said to be inspired by the dark clouds formed by a volcano while the latter is inspired by the misty rain of the south of the Yangtze River. The two colors are shown in the image below.

For the Axon 30 Ultra, ZTE is doubling the color variants. The top-end model will come in black, blue, white, and coffee. Two of them (white and coffee) have Axon written on the back in a large font and ZTE says the coffee version is covered in plain leather.

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The Axon 30 Pro and Axon 30 Ultra will be powered by the Snapdragon 888 processor. Both phones will have four rear cameras but of different configurations. The Aon 30 Pro will have a flat display with a centered punch hole while the Axon 30 Ultra will have a curved display with a centered punch hole and a 144Hz refresh rate.

ZTE has also revealed that the Axon 30 Ultra uses a non-stacked design, unlike other phones that use a stacked design for the internals. The manufacturer says that the advantages this design brings include better heat dissipation, stronger network signals, and a thinner body. It claims the phone is just 8.0mm thick (the frame measures 1.7mm in thickness) while the weight is given as 180 grams.

ZTE has also released two teaser videos for the Axon 30 Pro and Axon 30 Ultra that you can feast your eyes on before the launch on Thursday.

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Recent reports indicated that ZTE will announce the Axon 30 series of smartphones by the end of April. However, the company confirmed through a Weibo post that the lineup will break cover on April 15 in China.

Reports have claimed that the Axon 30 series has three models namely, Axon 30, Axon 30 Pro, and Axon 30 Pro+. The handset shown in the image below is one of the Axon 30 series phones. It is likely that all three handsets may sport the same rear design.

The poster reveals that the Axon 30 series smartphone’s rear camera module has four cameras. There is a possibility that the Axon 30 Pro or the Axon 30 Pro+ will feature three 64-megapixel cameras and an auxiliary lens. While the rumor mill has revealed some of the key specs of Axon 30 Pro, the details of the Axon 30 and 30 Pro+ are yet to emerge.

Passt reports have revealed that the Axon 30 Pro is equipped with a 6.92-inch OLED screen, which is integrated with the second-generation under-display camera technology. The massive display is expected to deliver 10-bit colors, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 360Hz touch sampling rate.

The handset will be fueled by the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform and it houses a 4,500mAh battery with 55W or 65W fast charging support. The SoC will be accompanied by LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. It may feature a 44-megapixel camera for capturing selfies. It is expected to offer users other features like MyOS based Android 11 OS, dual speakers, and linear motor, and so on. Hopefully, the company will confirm the other features of the Axon 30 series through daily teasers before the official announcement.

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Chinese tech giant ZTE is expected to officially unveil its first flagship phone of 2021 later this month. The Axon 30 is tipped to go official in China on April 30. Ahead of the launch, a product page for the smartphone has appeared on  ZTE’s Jingdong (JD.com) official flagship store.

The product page is devoid of any specs of the smartphone and even the pricing details. Instead, a placeholder image of a smartphone covered by a veil. We’ll still have to wait until the official launch to find out some of the details and retail price of the smartphone.

Since the start of this month, ZTE has consistently been releasing teasers of the Axon 30 series. However, we still have to piece the details of the series from leaks and the teasers. The Axon 30 series is expected to include the Axon 30, Axon 30 Pro, and Axon 30 Pro+.

It is expected to pack Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 888 chip and will also feature an improved under-screen front camera with the display panel manufactured by Visionox. Since it is a flagship device, the display will have a refresh rate of 120Hz and a touch sampling rate of 360Hz. The Axon 30 series will come with a powerful triple camera setup which the company dubbed Trinity Triple camera system. The setup is made up of three 64MP sensors and a fourth “auxiliary sensor”.

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• ZTE Axon 30 teaser reveals an auxiliary sensor with Trinity triple camera setup

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ZTE is gearing up for the launch of its Axon 30 series of flagship smartphones. Now, the company shared a new promotional image poster, which teases an auxiliary image sensor along with the Trinity Triple camera system on the rear.

For those unaware, the Trinity triple camera setup is basically the name for the Axon 30 Pro’s rear camera module. All three sensors are high end shooters that feature 64 megapixel sensors. In other words, the camera system has a sum total of close to 200 megapixels on the rear. Looking at the promotional image poster, one can observe that the new camera system has four sensors on the rear.

While the three prominent lenses are the Trinity Triple camera system, the fourth sensor appears to be an auxiliary sensor for support. Unfortunately, the function of this sensor is currently unknown, although, it is likely to be a macro or black and white lens, or something else that supplements the primary triple cameras. However, this is just speculation so take it with a pinch of salt and we will have to wait for an official company announcement or additional teasers to know for sure.

At the moment, the company has yet to reveal an announcement or launch date for its upcoming premium grade handset lineup. But, we had reported on a possible 30th April 2021 launch date. Finer details regarding the device are also unknown, but it is likely to feature top notch hardware like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor. So stay tuned for more, as we will be providing updates when additional information is available.

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Still reeling from the robust reception that greeted the launch of the S30 series on March 31,  ZTE is about to pull another marketing stunt. The company has started teasing the launch of yet another smartphone series and it plans to release a teaser daily for the next 30 days. This time around, it is the Axon 30 series which is expected to include the Axon 30, Axon 30 Pro, and Axon 30 Pro+.

ZTE Mobile phone division has now disclosed on its official Weibo page that it will continue releasing daily teasers about the Axon 30 series until April 30. Although the company is yet to officially announce the launch date, we expect the device to be announced on April 30. In another light, if the new series doesn’t go official on April 30, ZTE may reveal the launch date on that day.

However, there is a strong possibility of the Axon 30 series getting unveiled on April 30. Earlier on, noted tipster @Digital Chat Station had disclosed that the new series will be released in April. The tipster has always been known for his accurate tips.

As far as we know, ZTE Axon 30 Pro will pack Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 888 chip. The device is said to feature Visionox’s under-screen front camera display panel and a built-in 4500mAh battery with 55W or 65W fast charging support. The display will have a refresh rate of 120Hz and a touch sampling rate of 360Hz.

The first teaser from ZTE suggests the Axon 30 series will come with a powerful triple camera setup that the company says could be ”the industry’s strongest three-main photography system”.

The phone is also expected to pack a 44MP front under-screen camera, dual speakers, linear motor and will run on the new MyOS custom ROM.

The Axon 30 Pro+ version is also expected to pack a Snapdragon 888 chip but there is no information about the base model. We expect more details to emerge in the coming days.

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Back in January, a leak had revealed that the 2021 ZTE flagship, the Axon 30 Pro, may come with a 200MP sensor. The source had revealed that the camera will be a Samsung S5KGND with a pixel size of 1.28um. It turns out that the leak was incorrect as an official poster released today has revealed that the new Axon flagship will have three 64MP cameras.

This is the first time we will see such a setup on a smartphone and we can’t wait to see how well the Axon 30 Pro performs with these cameras. Alongside the 64MP main camera, it appears ZTE will also give the phone a 64MP telephoto camera just like that of the Galaxy S21+ 5G while the third 64MP sensor should be an ultrawide angle camera.

A number of flagship phones these days have more than one primary camera. Phones like the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, the OnePlus 8 Pro, the Mi 10 Ultra, and the Find X3 Pro all have more than one high-end camera but the Axon 30 Pro will be taking it to another level with its three 64MP sensors.

The phone is also expected to come with a Snapdragon 888 processor, an AMOLED display, 55W fast charging, and run Android 11 out of the box.

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In January, ZTE confirmed that its Axon branded flagship phone will be called the Axon 30 Pro. The handset had appeared with its A2022PG model number at the database of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) recently. Its Chinese variant with the A2022 model number has now received approval from the 3C authority of China.

The ZTE A2022’s 3C listing states that it is a 5G-ready device. It further reveals that the phone may arrive with support for 55W rapid charging. It has no other information on the specifications of the smartphone.

The Snapdragon 765G powered ZTE Axon 20 5G that debuted back in September 2020 was the world’s first phone to feature an in-display camera. The Axon 30 Pro is expected to launch as the world’s first flagship smartphone with an in-display camera. The handset will be driven by the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform.

The Axon 30 Pro is expected to arrive with the second-generation version of in-screen camera technology. A recent leak suggested that it could be equipped with a big display of 6.92 inches. It is unclear whether the phone supports FHD+ or QHD+ resolution, but it is speculated to arrive with 120Hz refresh rate support.

The Axon 30 Pro also promises to offer a stellar photography experience. There are speculations that it could be equipped with a 200-megapixel camera. The device will boot to Android 11 OS. It could be equipped with a 4,700mAh+ battery.

After its 3C certification, it is likely to soon appear in TENAA’s database in the coming days. It is still unclear whether it will be launching later in March or in the coming month.

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ZTE‘s business unit President and President of Nubia Technology, Ni Fei has announced on Weibo that the company will demonstrate its next-generation under-screen camera technology at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai.  The company became the first to bless us with the world’s first under-screen camera phone when it launched the Axon 20 last year.

Now, the company is planning to unveil the second-generation version of the impressive technology. We won’t wait for too long to meet with the technology as MWC Shanghai is scheduled to hold next week from February 23 – 25, 2021.

The new camera technology is expected to be the first to utilize the under-screen 3D structured light. The technology will likely be unveiled inside the Axon 30 Pro. This time around, the device will be a flagship model said to pack a Snapdragon 888 chipset. The first-generation under-screen camera technology was launched onboard a mid-range device (Axon 20). The Axon 20 5G comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor and a 6.92-inch FHD+ screen.

However, the shift to a flagship model could be an indication that the company has perfected the technology.

GSMA had earlier announced that the 2021 Mobile World Congress Shanghai which is the Asian version will return this year after a hiatus occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. The exhibition is scheduled to be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC) from February 23 to 25, 2021. It will be one of the largest and most anticipated events of its kind in recent months.

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ZTE has confirmed that the Axon 30 Pro flagship is coming. The phone which will be the successor to last year’s Axon 20 Pro flagship has been teased by ZTE’s president, Ni Fei, to have the industry’s best camera system. New info says that the phone may actually come with a 200MP sensor.

The info is from the Chinese blogger who goes by “WHYLAB” on Weibo and according to a post shared on the social media platform yesterday, he has heard that the Axon 30 Pro may come with Samsung’s 200MP sensor.

A few weeks ago, it was revealed that smartphones sporting Samsung’s 200MP sensor may soon launch. Now, it appears the ZTE Axon 30 Pro may be the first commercial phone to feature the sensor.

ZTE already confirmed that that the upcoming flagship will be powered by the Snapdragon 888 and one of the features of the chipset is support for up to 200MP cameras. Other processors that also support 200MP sensors are the Exynos 2100, Snapdragon 870, Dimensity 1200, Snapdragon 865 Plus, and Snapdragon 865.

WHYLAB also reveals the specs of the camera. His Weibo post reveals the model number of the sensor is S5KGND and it has an optical format of 1/1.37”, a pixel size of 1.28um, and a pixel focus size of 0.64um. The camera has quad-pixel autofocus and mimics a 50MP image sensor by quad pixel binning or a 12.5MP by 16:1 pixel binning. It is also said to support 16K video output.

Samsung has not yet revealed its plans for a 200MP sensor but there is a possibility that it may announce the camera shortly before the Axon 30 Pro launches, the same day it launches, or shortly after.

The Axon 30 Pro is expected to launch after the Chinese New Year holidays which is a few weeks from today.

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In December, ZTE confirmed that it will be launching three phones with Snapdragon 888 smartphones such as Axon 30, Nubia Z, and Red Magic 6. While the company is mum on the specs and features of the Nubia Z, it has been gradually revealing features of its other two flagships. Today, the company shared a new poster to reveal that its next flagship phone will be called ZTE Axon 30 Pro.

An outline of the rear camera module can be seen in ZTE Axon 30 Pro’s new poster. Today, ZTE President Ni Fei took to Weibo to reveal that the Axon 30 Pro will be arriving with the industry’s pioneering imaging system. Neither the company nor the company has revealed any information on the cameras of the Axon 30 Pro.

The Axon 30 series is expected to include two models such as ZTE Axon 30 and Axon 30 Pro. Both phones may come equipped with second-generation in-screen cameras. The Axon 30 Pro will be fueled by the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform. It is unclear which processor will be present under the hood of the Axon 30.

Speculations are rife that ZTE may announce the Axon 30 lineup will break cover after the Chinese New Year (Feb. 12). Hopefully, newer reports will reveal more information on the specs of both smartphones.

The Axon 30 Pro is expected to replace the Axon 10s Pro 5G phone that debuted last year in February. It came with specs like a 6.47-inch AMOLED FHD+ display, Snapdragon 865, 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, up to 256 GB of UFS 3.0 storage, 48-megapixel triple cameras, a 20-megapixel front camera, and a 4,000mAh battery with fast charge support.

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