Last month, Chinese handset maker vivo unveiled OriginOS as the latest version of its mobile operating system. A day after the announcement, the company also revealed the list of eligible devices and their update timeline. Now, the company has begun to recruit beta testers for 5 smartphones.

According to the update schedule shared by vivo, a total of 33 vivo and iQOO-branded smartphones will be updated to OriginOS in China. This roadmap only tells about when these devices will be getting beta builds and therefore, the actual stable rollout for all the eligible phones may complete later than the suggested Q2 2021 time period.

That said, out of 33, 11 devices are scheduled to enter the beta program before January 31, 2020. Hence, as promised, vivo has now opened registrations for the first five handsets and they are as follows.

• vivo X50
• vivo S7
• vivo NEX 3S
• iQOO
• iQOO Neo3

The beta recruitment for the above-mentioned phones will take place from December 1 to 10. However, though the company is providing 10 days time to register, only 200 seats are allocated for each smartphone. Lastly, the beta rollout will commence from December 15 (tentative date).

So that means the stable release for regular users may only happen in January 2021 at the earliest. And above all, this program is only limited to China and vivo is yet to officially announce OriginOS for global markets along with eligible devices and update plans.

Everything you need to know about vivo OriginOS

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Like fellow Chinese OEMs, vivo was also part of Android 11 Beta program. The company delivered two builds each for two of its smartphones – vivo NEX 3S 5G and iQOO 3 4G/5G. Now, the firm has released the third beta build with Funtouch OS 11 based on Android 11 stable codebase.

Chinese smartphone makers like OnePlus, OPPO, and Xiaomi have already released the 2020 version of their mobile operating system. These companies have also begun to roll out beta builds to a large number of users.

On the other hand, vivo is yet to announce its latest Android skin Funtouch OS 11. However, the company did tease it at the vivo V20 series launch event in Thailand. Interestingly, the company had also quietly released a beta build of the same for vivo NEX 3S 5G and iQOO 3 4G/5G on September 20 going by their build numbers.

The first-ever Funtouch OS 11 beta build based on Android 11 stable codebase for the above-mentioned vivo smartphones comes after Android 11 Beta 1 in June and Android 11 Beta 2 in July.

Just like the previous two builds, the latest one is also only meant for developers. But anyone can try it, however, we would recommend not to.

That said, we expect vivo to soon announce Funtouch OS 11 officially in the coming days.

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(Source / Via)

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Vivo is one of the few OEMs to partner with Google to offer its users the latest version of Android before release. Though it is primarily meant for developers to test their app, any user can install it if they want to. The company released Android 11 Beta 1 for iQOO 3 4G/5G and Vivo Nex 3S in June. Now, after two months, the company releases Beta 2 for these devices.

Going by the build number of the update files, the Android 11 Beta 2 for the supported Vivo handsets were released in late July after OnePlus 8/8 Pro got them. Since Vivo is not popular among tech enthusiasts, the update remained under the hill until PiunikaWeb spotted it.

The installation procedure is simple as users don’t need PC or any knowledge of flash tools. All they have to do is download the update package from the link provided from the below on their phone.

Then, simply open any file manager app and tap on the downloaded file to initiate the installation procedure. This will factory reset the phone and therefore, make sure to create a backup of important files beforehand.

In a similar manner, users can return back to the stable Android 10 build by downloading and installing the rollback package provided below.

As for bugs, the company says that the battery level indicator is blocked by the punch hole camera on iQOO 3. Whereas, on Nex 3S, users cannot use Vivo Wallet feature.

Download Android 11 Beta 2 for Vivo iQOO 3 4G/5G and Nex 3S

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Google officially released Android 11 Beta 1 for Pixels a couple of days back. As expected, some of the partner OEMs also announced their involvement in the program. Oppo was the first company to reveal, followed by OnePlus, Xiaomi, Poco, and Realme. Now, Vivo and iQOO have also declared their association in the beta program with their Nex 3S and iQOO 3 handsets.

Google began to involve partner OEMs in the Android Beta program from Android Pie. Most of the companies released AOSP build for its users. But from last year, almost all of them delivered builds with their own skin like MIUI, OxygenOS, etc. The trend continues this year as well.

Hence, the Android 11 Beta 1 for Vivo Nex 3S and iQOO 3 is available as FuntouchOS and iQOO UI. Also, the update is available for both 4G and 5G variants of iQOO 3 that are sold in India.

Vivo says it will be releasing the second build in late July, which will be soon followed by stable release once Google officially launches Android 11 in August.

The currently available builds are not suitable for all users as they have some major bugs like the in-display fingerprint sensor. Anyway, if you are still interested, you can download them from the link provided below.

Once downloaded, copy the file to your device and navigate to Settings > System Update > Local Update. Do note that this will reset your phone and hence make sure to create a backup of your data before proceeding.

Download Android 11 Beta 1 for Vivo Nex 3S and iQOO 3 4G/5G

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(Via)

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Vivo’s latest launch conference was held earlier today (10th March 2020). In the event, the main highlighting launch was for the Vivo NEX 3S. However, alongside the new smartphone, the company also unveiled a new minimalistic browser called NEX browser.

The NEX minimalist browser is based on the chromium kernel and aims to provide a smoother and clutter free experience to users. It features a fairly simple UI which offers a clean visual experience. Vivo’s NEX browser can be used via text search and voice searches as well. But one of its most useful features is the built in adblocker.

Editor’s Pick: Vivo NEX 3S 5G with waterfall display, SD865, LPDDR5, UFS 3.1, 64MP triple cameras and 44W charging unveiled

Nowadays, advertisements on the internet have become increasingly more aggressive and tend to steal focus away from the main content being viewed. However, the Vivo NEX browser helps in offerings an advertisement free user experience. This is a very convenient feature and could potentially also keep users from harm.

For those unaware, certain adware found online or on certain websites may even contain malware that could disrupt the functioning of your phone. In worst case scenarios user’s may mistakenly download ransomware, which would have users pay a required sum of money to attackers to receive the precious data on one’s smartphone.

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(Via)

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In September 2019, Vivo had launched the Vivo NEX 3 smartphone with revolutionary waterfall display. It had also debuted as the company’s first 5G smartphone. Today, the company announced the Vivo NEX 3S 5G smartphone as its enhanced version. Since it is powered by the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform, it supports dual-mode 5G which wasn’t available on last year’s model. The phone comes with some other attractive features like UFS 3.1 storage and LPDDR5 RAM.

Vivo NEX 3S 5G specifications

The Vivo NEX 3S 5G borrows many of its features such as waterfall display, front and rear cameras from the original NEX 3 5G phone. The Vivo NEX 3S 5G that features a glass and metal combination chassis has 167.44 x 76.14 x 9.4mm dimensions and it weighs 219.5 grams.

The device houses a massive S-AMOLED display of 6.89 inches. The Waterfall FullView display magnificently curves at nearly 90 degrees at its left and right edges. The notch-less screen offers full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2256 pixels and a screen-to-body ratio of 99.6 percent. It is an HDR10+ complaint screen which supports 100 percent P3 wide color gamut and sRGB. There are no physical power and volume buttons on the edges of the phone. Like the NEX 3 5G, the NEX 3S 5G come with TouchSense pressure-sensitive buttons for controlling volume and power.

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The Vivo NEX 3S 5G is the first Vivo branded flagship phone of the year driven by the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform. The SoC is coupled with up to 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. The phone comes in UFS 3.1 storage choices of 128 GB and 256 GB. There is no support for external storage on the smartphone.

The Vivo NEX 3S 5G has a pop-up selfie camera module that includes an LED flash and a 16-megapixel lens with f/2.0 aperture. The Hyper HDR feature onboard enables the phone to increase the accuracy of dynamic range between the face of the user and the brightest spot in the background. The backside of the device features a round-shaped camera module. It includes a 64-megapixel Samsung GW1 main shooter with f/1.8 aperture, a 13-megapixel superwide lens with f/2.2 aperture and a 13-megapixel telephoto lens with f/2.48 aperture. The triple cameras support 2x optical zoom and 20x digital zoom. HDR, Hyper-HDR and super EIS video stabilization, 4K video shooting, and 480fps 1080p slow-motion video recording are some of the camera features of the NEX 3S 5G.

The display of the Vivo NEX 3S 5G is integrated with a fingerprint reader. The phone is loaded with FunTouch OS 10 based Android 10 operating system. There is VPG process daemon technology that can intelligently diagnose abnormalities of third-party apps. The presence of SD865 promises impressive gaming experience on the Vivo NEX 3S 5G. There is X-Axis Haptic onboard for vibration while playing games and typing. The smartphone is equipped with zero-inductive soaking plate that can effectively reduce the surface temperature phone by 3 to 4 degrees. It can also reduce the temperature of the main chip by more than 10 degrees.

The Vivo NEX 3S 5G draws power from a 4,350mAh battery which is slightly smaller than the 4,500mAh capacity battery of the Vivo NEX 3. There is no support for wireless charging on device. While the 3C listing of the phone had hinted that the phone will be arriving with a 55W charger, the final product ships with a 44W rapid charger. The phone supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 and is capable at connecting two Wi-Fi networks simultaneously.  The other features that are available on the NEX 3S 5G include dual SIM support, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS and USB-C. It lacks a 3.5mm audio jack.

Vivo NEX 3S 5G price and availability

The Vivo NEX 3S 5G introduced in China comes in two flavors such as 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage and 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. It is priced at 4,998 Yuan (~$619) and 5,298 Yuan (~$763). It can be availed in three colors like black, blue and red. The first sale of the phone will be held on March 14 in China. There is no word on the availability of the NEX 3S 5G outside of the home market.

UP NEXT: Vivo’s revised Android 10 update schedule for China revealed

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Vivo recently announced its APEX 2020 Concept Smartphone and now the Chinese company is all set to launch a new smartphone under NEX, the company’s another lineup for experimental devices.

A landing page for the Vivo NEX 3S smartphone on Tmall has revealed that the smartphone will be officially launched in China on 10th March at a launch event at 2:30 PM local time. The phone is said to come powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, the flagship chipset which will be powering most of the flagship phones getting launched this year.

Further, it has also been reported that the smartphone will be featuring a waterfall screen and the device will come powered by 55W Pump Charging, one of the fastest charging technology out there, after OPPO‘s 65W fast charge.

Recently, a new Vivo 5G smartphone with model number “V1950A” was spotted on TENAA along with the phone’s renders. While the name of that device has not been confirmed yet, it is believed to be the upcoming Vivo NEX 3S.

The TENAA listing reveals that the upcoming device from Vivo will look similar to its predecessor, Vivo NEX 3. It also reveals that the phone measures 167.44 × 76.14 × 9.4 mm and weighs 219.5 grams.

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It also sheds light on some of the key specifications of the upcoming smartphone. The Vivo NEX 3S is said to feature a 6.89-inch AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 2256 x 1080 pixels. As said, it will come powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, along with 8GB of RAM.

The phone will have a triple-camera setup on the back and from the renders, it seems that the company has opted for the “Oreo” camera module. It will consist of a 64MP primary sensor, a 13MP secondary sensors and another 13MP camera sensor.

On the front side, the device will come with a 16MP pop-up snapper for taking selfies and video calling. The listing also reveals 4,250mAh battery and as rumored, could pack 55W fast charging technology.

TENAA says the phone comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner, runs Android 10 operating system out-of-the-box and has support for SA and NSA 5G bands 41, 78, and 79. We expect to know more about this upcoming smartphone in the coming days, as the launch date nears.

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(Via)

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