Key specs of vivo iQOO Z1x appear, reveal 120 Hz refresh rate

The gaming branch of vivo is iQOO and it already launched a midranger called iQOO Z1 with Dimensity 1000+ chipset and 44W super-fast charging. A cheaper alternative of it is going to be unveiled soon, and it is called iQOO Z1x. We already knew it will have Snapdragon 765G chipset and a 5,000 mAh battery, but today two leaksters revealed even more details on Weibo. The iQOO Z1x will arrive with a 6.57" LCD that comes with a 120 Hz refresh rate, while the fast charging will be downgraded to 33W. One of the leaksters said the main camera will be 48 MP, although the camera experience...

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Redmi 9 arrives in China, starts at $115

The Redmi 9 unveiled a couple of weeks ago has finally arrived in China. It comes in three memory versions there - 4GB/64GB priced at CNY799 ($115/€100), 4GB/128GB priced at CNY999 ($140/€125), and 6GB/128GB that costs CNY1,199 ($170/€150). The Redmi 9 is offered in Lotus Root Powder, Neon Blue, Carbon Black and Mordecin colors (machine translated from Chinese) and it's up for pre-orders through the company's official China site, JD.com, Suning.com and TMall till June 29, with shipments beginning the next day. The Redmi 9 is built around a 6.53" LCD of 2340x1080-pixel resolution...

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LG Velvet with DualScreen review

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TCL 10 Pro and 10L get their first discounts and software updates

If you're stuck wondering which exact phone to buy, how about a mid-ranger from a company that's not really known for using its brand on smartphones? Jokes aside, the TCL 10 Pro and 10L are solid mid-rangers, which launched back in May, after an April announcement. Now, a bit over a month after their initial availability, they're getting their first software updates. Not just that, but they've gotten cheaper too. TCL 10 Pro Let's address the updates first. The TCL 10 Pro's new version is v2.0.4D.H.D, while the 10L's is v2.0.3C.H.9. Both contain the May 2020 security patches...

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Apple sends mysterious update to the AirPods Pro

Yesterday during its online WWDC event, Apple announced a couple of new features headed to its AirPods Pro: seamless switching between audio sources (as long as they're all Apple devices), and "Spatial Audio" surround sound. Today, coincidentally or not, the company has started sending out a firmware update to the AirPods Pro, which will take them from version 2D15 to version 2D27. Unfortunately Apple doesn't publish changelogs for its AirPods updates, so we don't yet know if this is the one that enables all those new features or not. It's also not very easy to get, as with all...

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The Redmi K40 will be a 5G phone, MIIT listing confirms

The Xiaomi M2006J10C is back - this will probably launch as the Redmi K40 or perhaps the Xiaomi Mi CC10. Earlier it was spotted at the 3C with a 33W charger, the same that comes in the Redmi K30 Pro retail box. Now the phone has appeared on MIIT. The Chinese wireless regulator certified the phone for usage on 5G networks. Not surprising, perhaps as the K30 phones are already 5G-enabled thanks to their Snapdragon 865 and 765G chipsets. MIIT's certification of the M2006J10C (likely the Redmi K40) The vanilla Redmi K40 probably won't use an 800-series chip, though. It was rumored to...

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Android 10-based Flyme 8.1 coming to 10 Meizu phones, company teases smartwatch

Meizu announced Flyme 8.1 in early May - its customized version of Android 10. The company is now recruiting volunteers for a closed beta test, which reveals that 10 older models are on the upgrade path. Meizu 16s • Meizu 16s Pro • Meizu 16T Meizu 16 • Meizu 16 Plus • Meizu 16Xs Meizu 16X • Meizu Note 9 • Meizu Note 8 • Meizu X8 The beta test will start on July 21, only Meizu owners in China can participate and you have to be registered in the System Update app. You have until July 31 to register. The new version of Flyme OS (already running on the...

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IDC: Chinese wearable market shrinks in Q1, Huawei overtakes Xiaomi for the lead

While global wearable shipments grew during the January-March period, the latest report from IDC shows that the Chinese market is going in the other direction as it contracted by 11% compared to the same period last year. Combined shipments totaled 17.6 million in the first quarter of 2020 and Huawei was the big beneficiary as it managed to outpace Xiaomi to gain the top spot with 4.28 million shipments. Company Q1 2020 shipments (in millions) Q1 2020 Market share Q1 2019 shipments (in millions) Q1 2019 Market share Yearly Growth Huawei ...

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Apex Legends coming to mobile this year

During an investor's call, EA's CEO Andrew Wilson said that the publishing company is looking to release the wildly popular battle royale game Apex Legends for mobile as well. Since the game is already available for Xbox, PC and PlayStation it's only natural for EA to try to capitalize on the growing mobile gaming segment. Earlier this year, EA said that Respawn Entertainment - the studio behind Apex Legends - is working on a Nintendo Switch port so an Android and iOS game would make the availability complete. With the success Fortnite for mobile and PUBG Mobile are seeing, it was...

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Mobvoi TicWatch C2+ comes with double the RAM and an extra watch strap

Back in October of 2018, Mobvoi announced its TicWatch C2, an elegant yet capable smartwatch running WearOS. Now, the company is ready to bring a slightly updated version dubbed the TicWatch C2+ which brings 1GB RAM and an extra black silicone strap in the box alongside the pre-installed leather one. Other than that and the new available watch faces, it's nearly identical to the regular TicWatch C2 down to the dimensions. The TicWatch C2+ carries the same 1.3-inch AMOLED (360 x 360 px) screen as its predecessor and still comes in a single 42.8mm size. It runs on the Snapdragon Wear...

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Interesting new iOS 14 features you might not know about

Yesterday Apple announced iOS 14, a major new release, as part of its WWDC 2020 keynote. As usual, the company spent a big part of the event discussing its new mobile operating system and its major new features, which includes things like updated widgets, new Messages, Maps, and Safari apps, Translate, updated Siri, improved CarPlay and App Clips. That's a sizable list of major new features to discuss in one event where Apple also had to talk about other things. So what Apple mentioned during its WWDC keynotes is usually just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the new features...

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OnePlus confirms a lite phone is on the way, it's coming to Europe and India

The OnePlus team has been making a lot of noise about "new beginnings" - and just as everyone suspected, this is about the company's second swing at a mid-range phone. There's a private Instagram accounted called @OnePlusLiteZThing. The @OnePlusLiteZThing account on Instagram begins the teaser campaign Yes, "Lite Z Thing". It posted the image above with a promise to reveal more about the "new kind of phone" in the weeks to come. This account was mentioned by Carl Pei (co-founder of the company). Meanwhile, the OnePlus Twitter account has been posting its fair share of "new...

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Realme teases C11's chipset and battery as series reaches 13 million sales

Realme Malaysia is churning out the teasers for the upcoming Realme C11 - a gaming phone on a budget and the first to use the yet-to-be-announced MediaTek Helio G35 chipset. The company revealed some details on the chipset, but they were not what we were hoping for. Realme C11 teasers It's a 12nm chip, same process node as the Helio G70 used in the Realme C3. However, the octa-core CPU in the G35 will use the old Cortex-A53 cores. While the post claims a maximum clock speed of 2.3 GHz, single core performance won't be inspiring unless there are big Cortex-A7x cores in...

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Honor X10 Max's 7.09" display will have an RGBW panel

The official unveiling of the Honor X10 Max is still over a week away (it's scheduled for July 2). TENAA already revealed most of the specs, but it missed a defining feature of the screen - it will be very bright and will offer excellent sunlight legibility. A video demonstration of that hit the web today and filled us in. The test was performed near the Tropic of Cancer Marker where at the right time of day the sun is directly overhead. And it shines brightly - 168,000 lux - yet the sizable 7.09" display remains perfectly legible. The secret? It uses an RGBW matrix, that means...

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Honor 9A will be available in Europe from July 1, Honor holds VIP sales day

The Honor 9A was unveiled in late April for the Russian market, now it's ready for a Europe-wide launch. And it brought some friends - the Honor Choice TWS earbuds and the Honor MagicBook 14, but we'll get back to them in a minute. Honor 9A The Honor 9A will become available through the brand's official site, HiHonor, as well as Amazon and other retailers on July 1. The price will start at €150/£130 (a bit more than the Russian price). The phone has a large 5,000mAh battery while its dimensions are fairly small, it's 9mm thick and weighs 185g. This is thanks to the 6.3"...

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Realme announces new product strategy as it aims to bring more AIoT and lifestyle products

Realme debuted as a smartphone brand back in May 2018 with Realme 1 and has launched dozens of smartphones across different markets since. But the company hasn't restricted itself to smartphones and expanded its product portfolio with the launch of TWS earphones last year and its first fitness band, smartwatch, and smart TV recently. As a part of Realme's long-term vision, the company's Indian CEO Madhav Sheth today announced Realme's new product strategy - 1+4+N - meaning 1 Core product, 4 Smart Hubs, and N AIoT products. Being a smartphone brand, Realme has smartphones at the core...

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Watch the Honor 9A European launch live here

Honor is ready to bring its 9A budget smartphone to Europe alongside a VIP sales event for existing Honor smartphones and accessories. You can follow the keynote below or via Honor Europe's official Facebook or Twitter accounts. The Honor 9A is an entry-level phone with a 6.3-inch IPS LCD, triple cameras and 5,000 mAh battery. It runs on the Helio P22 chipset and is offered in a single 3GB RAM and 64GB storage configuration. On the software side, it boots Magic UI 3.1 on top of Android 10 with no Google Play Services.

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Apple tvOS 14 adds multi-user support, picture-in-picture and audio sharing

Apple's big keynote yesterday had another new OS reveal with tvOS 14. The latest iteration in the Apple TV box interface brings a big overhaul headlined by multi-user support, picture-in-picture and audio sharing with AirPods. There's also adaptive lighting for smart light bulbs, support for HomeKit Cameras with face recognition and 4K content over AirPlay. Apple TV will also be able to stream YouTube in 4K resolution and now supports Xbox Elite 2 and Adaptive controllers. Apple is bringing tvOS 14 in the fall for both the 4K and HD Apple TV boxes. The developer version is already...

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Asus ROG Phone 3 confirmed to arrive in July

Asus will reveal the ROG Phone 3 in partnership with Tencent, the two companies announced on Weibo. The launch will take place in July, although an exact date is yet to be announced. The phone will have a version deeply customized by Tencent , just like the predecessor ROG Phone II. Tencent Games said that it will partner with Republic of Gamers in China to provide "in-depth cooperation" and will focus on "optimizing the performance of game content on the hardware" to "create a game experience, closer to the player". Just like last year, we expect Tencent to provide better optimization...

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iQOO Z1x battery capacity revealed

Shortly after the launch of the iQOO Z1, it was revealed that the phone is getting a cheaper sibling called iQOO Z1x. The phone is supposed to come with a Snapdragon 765G chipset and a high-refresh-rate screen and 33W fast charging, as per previous rumors. The latest leak comes in the form of a spy shot of the battery screen revealing 5,000 mAh capacity. The iQOO Z1 starts at CNY 2,198 ($310), so we can expect the Z1x to come even lower and judging by the specs known so far, vivo might be onto something here. Source (in Chinese)

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iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 will let you select a default browser and email app

Despite not mentioning it during the presentation, Apple is bringing the option to select default browser and email app with the new iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 update. You will now be free to ditch Safari and the native Mail app and select alternatives which will open links and compose messages. The new feature is part of the detailed key features and enhancement breakdown on Apple's website. Developers will need to optimize their apps to support these new features and browsers will still be forced to rely on Apple's WebKit engine. Previous rumors suggested that Apple might bring a...

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 gets Android 10 with One UI 2

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 announced back in August 2018 with Android Oreo picked up the Android 9 Pie update last April and now it's receiving its second major update in the form of Android 10. The Android 10 update for the Galaxy Tab S4 brings along One UI 2 and bumps up the Android security patch level on the tablet to June 1, 2020. Additionally, the new firmware brings in Dark Mode, clearer app icons, improved layouts for titles and buttons, smoother animations, and new full-screen navigation gestures. It also includes Quick Share and Music Share features. The former allows users...

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Oppo unveils Reno3 A in Japan

Oppo already introduced the first members of the Reno4 lineup, but the company took a step back today and added to its Reno3 series. The latest addition to the company's portfolio is Oppo Reno3 A that is coming to Japan. The new phone brings the looks of the Oppo Reno3 5G with four cameras on the back and a waterdrop notch on the front, but with downgraded specs across the whole sheet. The Reno3 A has a Snapdragon 665 chipset, coupled with 6GB RAM. On the front, there is a 6.44" AMOLED panel that is the same as in the Reno3 5G and Find X2 Lite/Reno3 Youth, but the overall footprint...

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