Xiaomi terminates support for seven Redmi phones

Xiaomi has been known for updating even five-year-old smartphones to its latest MIUI, but it seems like this practice is about to end. The company has just announced on its forums that seven smartphones will stop receiving software support, meaning no MIUI 11 or any Global Beta in the future. The full list includes: Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Xiaomi Redmi 3S Xiaomi Redmi 3X Xiaomi Redmi 4 Xiaomi Redmi 4A Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Xiaomi Redmi Pro The Mi Community Admin said that the normal upgrade for other devices will not be affected for the time being. The announcement...

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Motorola P40 Play leaks in CAD-based renders and video

Motorola's upcoming P40 has been leaking since the beginning of the year, but the successor to the P30 from last year still isn't official. Emulating what happened in 2018, it looks like Motorola isn't just preparing one P40 model, but more. Of those, the P40 Play is expected to be the lowest-end, as has traditionally been the case for this company's phones having "Play" in their names. Today the P40 Play has been given the leaked CAD-based render treatment, and there's a video too as usual. The Motorola P40 Play will have a very much bezel filled display with a water drop notch up...

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Snapchat introduces Snap Games and Snap Originals programs

Snap Inc. just held its Snap Partner Summit and announced a dizzying array of new features that are coming to the platform. Let's first start with Snap Games. Snap Games are mobile games that you can play within the Snapchat app. These are multiplayer games that you can play with your friends and you can text or voice chat while playing. The feature is launching with six titles, Bitmoji Party, Tiny Royale (Zynga), Snake Squad (Game Closure), C.A.T.S. Drift Race (ZeptoLab), Zombie Rescue Squad (PikPok), and Alphabet Hustle (Spry Fox). The other new feature is Snap Originals....

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Apple drops HomePod price a year after launch

Apple has slashed the price of the HomePod across all regions where it is available. In the US, the HomePod is now priced at $299 instead of the previous $349. In the UK, it's now available for £279 instead of £319. Other regions, too, have seen a price drop. The HomePod price drop is somewhat unconventional for Apple. Usually, Apple products keep their price far too long into the product cycle. This is usually seen on Macs, that don't get updated as often as the iOS devices. One could surmise that the price drop is due to the lukewarm sales of the HomePod, which hasn't...

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Pocophone F1 gets stable MIUI 10.3.4 with HD video streaming support, Game Turbo, 4K60 recording

Today Xiaomi has started rolling out a new software update for the Pocophone F1. It's still based on Android 9 Pie, of course. Once you install the 515MB download, which arrives over-the-air, you'll be running MIUI 10.3.4, with the March 2019 security patch level. That, however, is the least interesting part of this update. The much anticipated Widevine L1 support is finally baked into a stable MIUI release for the Pocophone, and this means you'll be able to stream HD videos on services such as Netflix. Better late than never? You'll be the judge. Next up, Xiaomi brought Game Turbo...

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Verizon launches the Palm Phone for $199

The initial Palm Phone rebirth that was announced last year was an interesting concept ruined by one big issue - it had to be paired with another Android or iOS phone to work. Well, Verizon listened, so the new Palm Phone is a standalone device that can be used on its own. Still, if pairing is your thing, the new Palm offers this option as well. And based on further consumer feedback, this year's Palm Phone delivers improved camera experience across the board with some HDR, color balance and low-light photography tweaks. Battery life should be longer as well. Source

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vivo V1901 reveled by TENAA certification listing

Last month two entry-level vivo phones showed up on Geekbech and today we got to learn more about one of them, bearing the 1901A/T name. Thanks to Geekbench, we knew it packed the Helio P22 SoC along with 2GB RAM and Android 9.0 Pie. Vivo 1901 A/T front and back Now a TENAA listing reveals that the screen will measure 6.35 inches and will feature a waterdrop notch for the front camera. The battery will be 4,880 mAh and the dimensions come in at 159.34 x 76.77 x 8.92 mm. Images of the phone's back side reveal a triple camera setup with a flash below and fingerprint sensor on...

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Apple's iPad mini 2019 gets bent out of shape in durability test, still works

After the new 11-inch iPad Pro got wrecked in JerryRigEverything's durability test, we weren't all that confident the iPad mini 2019 would survive the same test. But woe and behold, it did, even if only partially. The durability test goes as usual - display scratches at a level 6, like most any screen outside of sapphire, the sides are made of aluminum and the burn test leaves no lasting damage as the screen is LCD and not OLED. The bend test is where it gets interesting. Just like the iPad Pro 11, the iPad mini 2019 yields to the pressure and bends badly. But unlike the Pro, the mini's...

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Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S and Mi Note 3 get stable MIUI 10

Xiaomi is pushing the stable MIUI 10.3.2.0 firmware update to both the Mi Mix 2S and the Mi Note 3 but there are differences. Key among them is the OS version - while the Mi Mix 2S moves up to Android 9.0 Pie the Mi Note 3 is left at Android 8.1 Oreo. Some of the major improvements of the firmware are the March 2019 security patch and the addition of Face Unlock support (region dependent). There are a number of bug fixes and patches as well. Here's a reminder of what's new in MIUI 10 and what's coming in MIUI 11. For firmware links and instructions you can visit the XDA Forums in...

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Xiaomi spins off part of its chipset division, which will work on AI hardware

Xiaomi's Pinecone subsidiary, which designed the company's first in-house chipset, the Surge S1, is being reorganized. Part of it will be split off under the name Dayu ("big fish") to focus on developing AI-enhanced chipsets for IoT applications (think smart speakers and other smart gadgets). Back in 2017, CEO Lei Jun acknowledged that the three biggest smartphone makers (and Qualcomm) all have their own AI-accelerating hardware and that it's important for Xiaomi to keep pace. And not just for the phones (though the remaining part of Pinecone will keep developing phone chipsets). Xiaomi...

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Samsung starts manufacturing 5G components for smartphones

Exactly one year after kicking off their development, the 5G modem and 5G RF chips are entering mass production. The Exynos 5100 modem, the Exynos 5500 RF transceiver and the Exynos 5800 supply modulator support the 5G New Radio and sub-6 GHz spectrum that are needed for gigabit speeds. While the Exynos Modem 5100 is not a new product, it is finally hitting the pipelines, meaning it should be available for distribution to smartphone manufacturers pretty soon. It can support virtually all networks - 2G GSM/CDMA, 3G WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, HSPA, and 4G LTE, all in a single chip. In order to...

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WhatsApp Business for iOS gets global rollout

WhatsApp Business is designed to let small businesses have better control over their interaction with customers. The standalone business app initially launched back in September 2017 exclusive to Android and graced iOS in several countries last month and now it's making its grand rollout for Apple users. Today WhatsApp officially confirmed the global launch of the service in a blog entry. Businesses in Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, India, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S can enjoy the benefits of the app today with more regions coming soon. There's also a web version for desktop...

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Lenovo announces midrange K6 Enjoy with Helio P22

Lenovo has added a new member to the K6 family from way back in 2016 - the K6 Enjoy. Similar in design to the more upscale Lenovo Z5s the K6 Enjoy offers reasonable at a reasonable price. On the front there's a 6.22-inch IPS LCD of 720x1520px resolution with a waterdrop notch housing an 8MP selfie camera. The rear has three cameras - a 12MP regular, 8MP telephoto and a 5MP depth sensor. Driving the Lenovo K6 Enjoy is a MediaTek Helio P22 with 4GB of RAM powered by a 3,300mAh battery. There's a generous 128GB of onboard memory, expandable through microSD. The Lenovo K6...

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Samsung Galaxy S10 5G box shows new fast charger

The Samsung Galaxy 5G will soon become the first commercially available 5G phone. It's scheduled to hit South Korea on April 5 and then the US on May 16. Now we are treated to an early unboxing of the upcoming phone and get to see all the goodies it comes with. Galaxy S10 5G box and contents The contents of the box reveal the new 25W USB-C charger, along with a double sided type C cable, standard AKG in-ear headset and a USB-C to USB-A adapter. The new charger should offer speedier top-ups compared to the 15W charger found with the other three Galaxy S10 variants. This...

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Meizu 16s appears on TENAA with 6.2-inch display and 3,540 mAh battery

The white Meizu 16s that leaked yesterday has appeared on TENAA in black along with a few of its specifications. It is listed on TENAA with model number M971Q, and, the images that are listed on the certifying authority's website reveal its design which is in line with previous leaks. On the front, the smartphone has a notch-less display with the selfie camera residing above it on the right. At the back, it has a dual camera setup positioned vertically in the left corner. Below these cameras is what seems like a laser AF sensor which is surrounded by an LED flash ring. TENAA also...

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Alleged middle frame of the iPhone XI leaks, showing big camera cutout

An image of what's allegedly the next generation iPhone's middle frame has surfaced and it supports earlier renders we've seen of the phone. The middle frame is usually the centerpiece of the phone's design, holding components like the motherboard, mainframe, battery and display. In this case the middle frame is strongly suggestive of the iPhone XI's new triple camera setup which will sit in the upper left corner of the rear panel, just like in these images. There are three circular holes for the regular, ultra-wide and telephoto cameras, one square-ish for the LED flash and another...

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Samsung Galaxy A90 video shows a slider with a rotating camera

We knew that the Samsung Galaxy A90 will have a pop-up camera, but this 3D render shows a pretty wild design. The Galaxy A90 has a slider that raises its dual camera, which can then rotate to become a selfie camera. @IceUniverse, who's regarded as someone in the know when it comes to unreleased Samsung designs, calls this "almost complete correct". About a week ago, @OnLeaks tweeted that the Galaxy A90 will have a sliding and rotating camera. This setup has many advantages - rear camera selfies without a second screen, for one. Also, the front screen is notchless Infinity Screen....

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Xiaomi Mi Fan Festival kicks off in India with discounts, INR1 flash sales, and more

Xiaomi's Mi Fan Festival in India has kicked off, and it will go on until April 6. As a part of this, the Chinese brand is offering products at discounted rates and is also giving a chance to the customers to buy select products at INR1 ($0.014). In addition to that, Xiaomi is also offering coupons worth up to INR1,000 ($14). You can win these by playing a game on Mi.com between 10 am and 2 pm local time and use them to buy products from the said website. Furthermore, there's also a game called "Fun and Furious" which gives you a chance to win prizes such as Mi Sports Bluetooth...

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Anker PowerCore Fusion PD Battery and Charger available on Apple store

The mouthful that is the Anker PowerCore Fusion Power Delivery Battery and Charger is now available on Apple's online store. If you haven't picked up from the name, this gadget is a charger and a battery all at the same time. It makes use of the new generation gallium nitride chargers that allows Anker to fit a battery inside the casing as well. The result is a 42W charger with a 30W USB-C output - enough even for a small laptop. There's also a secondary USB-A connector at 12W for smartphone fast charging. The built-in battery inside is rated at 5,000 mAh. Unfortunately, there...

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Lenovo Z6 Pro retail box arrives

Lenovo still hasn't announced a launch date for its new flagship called Z6 Pro, but the company just revealed what its retail box would look like. It posted pictures of the packaging on Weibo, and honestly, it looks like a normal smartphone box with some fancy design elements. Lenovo Z6 Pro retail box According to Lenovo, both the actual phone and the pictured package have been designed by the team behind the torch that carried the Olympic flame back at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Lenovo said the box is designed in such way to excite you about the smartphone on the inside,...

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Samsung Galaxy S10 5G coming to Verizon on May 16

As 5G continues to hit more markets, Verizon will soon be adding the Galaxy S10 5G to its fleet of devices. Chicago and Minneapolis were the first two cities to get next-gen connectivity and those who reside there can get a 5G hotspot and give it a try. Today, Evan Blass confirmed that the 5G capable Samsung Galaxy S10 is coming to Big Red on May 16. He had no intel on the expected pricing though. Yesterday the carrier released the Moto mod 5G which effectively turned the Motorola Moto Z3 into the first 5G capable phone in the US and the world for that matter. However, that's a huge...

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Apple iPhone XR gets a massive discount in India

The iPhone XR that was launched in India with a base price of INR76,900 ($1,117). Six months later it has received an impressive discount of INR17,000 ($247) in the country. The Apple iPhone XR will be available at a discounted price in India starting tomorrow, and those who have HDFC Bank's debit/credit card will get an additional 10% cashback, thus resulting in a total discount of up to INR24,500 ($356). You can check out the table below for detailed pricing. Model MRP Price for non-HDFC Bank customers Price for HDFC Bank customers 64GB ...

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Android Q Beta 2 brings Bubbles and emulator for foldables

Less than a month after the first Android Q Beta, Google issued the second iteration. The package introduced new features like Bubbles and a foldable emulator for developers, currently supporting the screens of the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X. While Bubbles might look like an iteration of the floating chat heads from Facebook's Messenger app, it is an evolution of the quick smart toggles that are currently found in the app drawer on any stock Android. Instead of letting your phone guess what function you need, you can set them up. They can provide quick access to portable...

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Realme U1 3GB RAM variant now comes with double storage

The Realme U1 that was announced last November comes in two versions - 3GB RAM + 32GB storage and 4GB RAM + 64GB storage. Now the company has launched a third variant with 3GB RAM and 64GB storage. This new variant is priced at INR10,999 ($160) and will go on sale from April 10 in India through Amazon.in and Realme India's online store. This announcement comes just two days after the company slashed the price of the U1 in the country. Realme U1 from the front and back The Realme U1 is powered by Helio P70 SoC and flaunts a 6.3-inch Full-HD+ LCD on the front. For photography, it...

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Oppo Reno reservations open on the official online store

Oppo Reno keeps leaking, and the latest information comes from the company itself. The phone was listed on the official Oppo online store in China, gathering reservations. The listing confirms the colors, the 48 MP camera as well as the NFC and VOOC 3.0 support. Oppo Reno in Pink, Purple, Black, Green The Oppo Reno is listed with a price tag of CNY9,999 which is most clearly a placeholder as it is highly unlikely Oppo will sell this smartphone for over $1,500. It might come in four colors, but not all of them will be available with all the RAM+storage options. According...

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