iQOO 7 is arriving on January 11 with Snapdragon 888 SoC

The iQOO 7 was just confirmed to be unveiled on January 11 through an online event in China, which will start at 7:30PM local time. It will come with a Snapdragon 888 SoC, LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.1 storage. The Chinese phone maker gave us a glimpse at the smartphone last week with a triple camera setup and BMW co-branded design. iQOO 7 The iQOO 7 is rumored to sport a 120Hz FullHD+ display and pack a 4,000 mAh battery with 120W charging. More details about the iQOO 7 should surface in the days leading to the official announcement. Source 1 | Source 2 (both in Chinese)

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Samsung homepage mentions January 6 event, could it be the Galaxy S21?

As reported by Telefoon NL, Samsung Netherlands’ home page contains an invitation for an event titled “The First Look 2021”. It’s set to take place on January 6 at 4PM local time (11 AM EST) and details of the event are scarce. The same invitation can also be seen on Samsung’s US home page, but this offers more information as to what the event refers to. This January 6 “First Look” event appears to have everything to do with Samsung’s CES announcements and nothing to do with smartphones. The event ‘save the date’ was posted on Samsung’s main page and the English version of the...

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Deal: grab a OnePlus 7T for just $349.99 until the end of the year

If you're looking for a cheap Android smartphone that costs $349.99, most people would recommend a Pixel 4a. But, if you're willing to settle for a slightly less great main camera, the OnePlus 7T can now be yours for the exact same price - and it's a better phone in every other respect. Interestingly, the 7T has an actual telephoto camera on the back, unlike both of its successors from 2020, the 8 and 8T. So there's also that going for it, as well as the fact that last year's flagship SoC, the Snapdragon 855+, is much better than the 730G in the Pixel 4a. The only thing you need to...

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OnePlus 8T and Nord get new updates

OnePlus is currently pushing new updates to two of its recent smartphones, the 8T and the Nord. The 8T is receiving the November security patch, while the lower-end Nord is going to have the December security level, which is a weird difference, but hey - at least you're getting new security fixes no matter which of these phones you have. The changelog for the update going out to the OnePlus 8T also mentions an optimized experience for gesture navigation, an increased success rate for fingerprint unlocking, a newly added keyboard height adjustment, better image quality for Nightscape shots,...

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LG Stylo 7 5G renders and hardware details surface

LG's Stylo line has somewhat successfully positioned itself as a more budget-friendly alternative, to Samsung's Note family for a few years now. The main parallel between the two being the stylus, housed in the phone's body. A successor to the Stylo 6 is actually a bit overdue at this point, but earlier leaks did already indicate that the Stylo 7 is on its way. In this new leak we get a much clearer look at the Stylo 7 in higher resolution images along with some basic details, like general dimensions. The phone will sport a 6.8-inch flat display, with a punch hole for the selfie...

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Motorola Capri Plus appears on Geekbench alongside rumored Motorola Nio

About two weeks ago we reported on Motorola’s upcoming Capri smartphone (model numbers XT2127-1/XT2127-2) which appeared on several certification agencies. Now we have more intel on its more powerful counterpart dubbed Capri Plus and bearing the XT2129-3 model number as it popped up in a Geekbench listing. The new Capri series phones are expected to be part of either the Moto E or Moto G lineups. The new Geekbench test run reveals Lenovo branding and scores of 306 points in the single-core department and 1,258 points on the multi-core test. It appears the device is powered by the...

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Xiaomi Mi 11 uses BlinkAI algorithms for its video night mode, here's a demo

The Xiaomi Mi 11 is the first phone with the Snapdragon 888 chipset. Among other improvements, Qualcomm’s new chip boasts faster performance for AI applications with a total of 26 TOPS of number-crunching power (up from 15 TOPS on the S865). This was leveraged by BlinkAI whose deep learning software powers the Night Mode in Mi 11’s video camera. Check out a demo below: Traditional night modes use image fusion, which that can be slow as the sensor needs to capture several frames. BlinkAI’s algorithm uses a neural network to mimic how the human eye works and only needs one frame. This...

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Samsung Galaxy S21+ handled in the wild

Take a gander at the Samsung Galaxy S21+ in the wild, courtesy of @MauriQHD on Twitter. The three images appear to show a legitimate working device with a confidential sticker on the rear. The unit looks to be the Phantom Violet model. It looks like the middle child Galaxy S21+. Samsung Galaxy S21+ hands-on At this point we pretty much know all there is to know about the Galaxy S21 family. The trio will become official globally on January 14. They'll be powered by an Exynos 2100 in most countries and the Snapdragon 888 in the US and Korea. The Galaxy S21 and S21+ will have...

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LG to announce QNED Mini LED TVs at CES 2021

LG has revealed that it will be announcing a new range of television during the virtual CES 2021 event. Called QNED Mini LED, this new range of televisions feature a combination of mini LED backlighting, quantum dot technology and LG's NanoCell in one product. Mini LED (not to be confused with microLED) is a method of backlighting for LCD panels where the backlighting is made up of tiny LED light elements. Since these are significantly smaller than standard LED backlighting solutions, you can pack many more in the same space. This allows for much more localized control over the...

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Google removes Astrophotography support from Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G's ultra wide camera

Google dropped the tele camera of the 4th generation and put an ultra wide camera on the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G instead. Some users were excited to use the Astrophotography mode with the wider field of view offered by the new camera, however, they were disappointed with the results as images came out noisy and with a very noticeable tint. Good news – Google fixed the issue. Bad news – the fix just removed the Astrophotography option for the ultra wide camera. This change appears to have arrived with version 8.1 of the Google Camera app. Pixel 5 Astrophotography photos: main...

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OnePlus 9 5G prototype just sold for $3,000 on eBay

Leaks and prototype units are just a part of the smartphone “game” nowadays, but this is not your usual story. If you haven’t been keeping up with the news - the OnePlus 9, 9 Pro and possibly a OnePlus 9E/9 Lite are one the way and likely expected to arrive in mid-March – a bit earlier than usual. There has been no shortage of leaks on the trio, including detailed renders. One source, however, want above and beyond and actually posted high-res, close-up shots of a prototype unit, complete with hardware details and software screenshots. Now, the exact same unit has been spotted on eBay and is...

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TUV certifies three batteries for Nokia phones, one with 5,050 mAh capacity (Nokia 7.3?)

Not in September, not in November, not in 2020. The Nokia 7.3 release date always seems to slide forward, but the phone does appear to be slowly working towards launch. The latest bit of info comes from TUV Rheinland Japan, which certified the batteries of two models. One is possibly the 7.3 – or it could be renamed Nokia 7.4 by the time it launches (WT340). That one is rated at a 5,050 mAh typical capacity. The other device, presumably the Nokia 6.3 (or 6.4), has a slightly smaller 4,470 mAh power cell instead (CN110). Nokia 7.3 battery with 5,050 mAh typical capacity (WT340) •...

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Amazfit and Zepp to introduce new wearables CES 2021

Amazfit announced its new flagship smartwatches GTS 2 and GTR 2 at an event in China three months ago, and just four weeks later, the wearables escaped the domestic market, heading to the United States and the United Kingdom. The company has even bigger plans for its GT 2 lineup however and has now confirmed it will introduce “more GTS 2 and GTR 2 products” during CES 2021. The devices we expect to see are the GTS 2e and GTR 2e - the cheaper Wi-Fi-deprived versions that already debuted in China. They share the physical appearance with their vanilla siblings, but due to the limited...

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Watch our Poco M3 video review

Poco has been on a roll in the budget end of the market lately and the Poco M3 is arguably the best entry-level phone out now. We’ve already published our written review and now we bring you the video breakdown. The M3 packs quite the compelling spec list with a large 6.53 FHD+ display paired with a 48MP main cam and 6,000 mAh battery all packaged in a unique design for around $150/€150. It’s not the first time that Poco ventures into the entry-level segment but this time it’s striking strong. You’re getting a device that would normally be priced in midrange category. Of course,...

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Renders of Galaxy S21 cases leak: Kvadrat, leather, rugged and silicone

In the US you can already reserve a Galaxy S21, which will net you $50 to spend on accessories. That should be enough to buy a protective case for your new flagship – speaking of which, here’s an overview of S21 cases. We’ve already seen the Kvadrat cases, these are woven covers that use yarn made from recycled materials. If you prefer metal instead, there are the Rugged Standing Cover with a built-in kickstand. Galaxy S21 accessories: Kvadrat and Clear Standing covers • Silicone and Rugged Standing covers Interestingly, the new cases cover up the camera bump while cases for...

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Vivo X60 and X60 Pro announced with 5nm Exynos 1080 chipsets

After many teasers and leaks, vivo's X60 and X60 Pro are now official and available for pre-order in China. Both phones share a specs blueprint with differences in the cameras, storage and RAM options and batteries. The common features include a 6.56-inch 2376x1080px E3 AMOLED with HDR10+ support and 120Hz refresh rate, a 5nm Exynos 1080 chipset and Android 11 under OriginOS 1.0. The vivo X60 Pro has a main 48MP f/1.5 camera (Sony IMX598 sensor) with vivo's 4-axis OIS, a 13MP 120-degree ultrawide unit that doubles as a macro camera being able to focus from just 2.5cm, 13MP 2x 50mm tele...

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Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro to arrive in February 2021

Xiaomi announced the Mi 11 series yesterday, but the event saw only one phone with the Pro version suspiciously missing. According to reliable leakster Digital Chat station, there is a Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro but it will arrive after the Chinese New Year (also known as Spring Festival) on February 12, 2021. Alleged Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro renders The Xiaomi Mi 11 arrived with an improved display and charging capabilities over the predecessor Xiaomi Mi 10. However, the 108MP sensor for the main camera is exactly the same one-year-old Samsung ISOCELL HM1 and the phone lacks any kind of telephoto...

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Samsung Galaxy M12 mass production begins, Galaxy F12 support page goes live

We’ve been hearing about Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy M12 handset for a while now and it seems the phone has already entered mass production in Samsung’s factory in Noida, India. As a result we are treated to several new images of the phone’s frame. Samsung Galaxy M12 frame The first one reveals the touchscreen component of the display inside the M12’s frame which also shows a cutout on the top to accommodate the V-shaped waterdrop cutout for the selfie camera. According to past rumors, the handset is expected to launch with a 6.7-inch Infinity-V AMOLED display and HD+ resolution....

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Android 11 update is rolling out for Asus Zenfone 6

Depending on how you decide to count them, the Asus 2020 device announcements only include between two and four devices. And in fact, neither this year’s ROG Phone 3, nor the Zenfone 7 family are running Android 11 as of yet. The Taiwanese giant is being methodical about its update cycle, with Android 11 only now starting to officially pop-up on a select few Zenfone 6 devices and only in its home Taiwan market. This development is actually yet another stage in a lengthy beta process, that kicked-off all the way back in August with tester recruitment, followed-up by a few beta build...

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Photos of the Realme Koi (aka Race) surface, rumors hint at 125W fast charging

Realme created a new Weibo account to tease its upcoming Snapdragon 888-powered phone, code-named “Koi”. That hasn’t stopped other Weibo users from posting additional info about the phone, like one @Geek_Cao who posted a pair of photos of the device plus some details. Alleged photos of the Snapdragon 888-powered Realme Koi (note the 64 MP camera) The back of phone shows the “Dare to leap” slogan in big, bold letters. You can also see the slogan in the official koi-themed teaser posted by the company, which confirms that the phone will indeed use the new Snapdragon chipset. Note...

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Brand new Xiaomi Mi 11 gets torn down on video

The first phone with a Snapdragon 888 chipset is already official with the launch of Xiaomi’s Mi 11 yesterday in China. The brand new Xiaomi flagship has quickly made its way to local tech bloggers and teardown experts Aiao Technology decided to take it apart and show us what it looks like on the inside. As with all teardowns this one starts by removing the SIM tray located on the bottom near the USB-C port. Then it's time to pry open the plastic eco-leather back free from all the adhesive and remove a few screws holding the camera sensor cover. The main 108MP sensor is Samsung's...

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Realme UI 2.0 beta opens for Realme 7 and Realme X2 Pro

Realme UI 2.0 was announced in September and the company promised that by the end of the year, the Realme 7 and Realme X2 Pro will get to experience it albeit in Beta form. Just two days before we turn the calendars, the company has opened the application process through a Google Docs form for which we’ve provided source links in the end of this article. Realme is already pushing the interface, based on Android 11, to some other devices - the 7 Pro is still in early access stage, the X50 Pro 5G flagship is already up for a stable update. On top of that, three Realme Q phones, announced...

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vivo Y31s 5G with Snapdragon 690 in the pipelines

vivo is expected to launch the X60 series today, but it's also continuing work on its host of mid-rangers. The latest phone we hear of is called vivo Y31s 5G and appeared on China Telecom's website with all its specs and photos. It is a more affordable version of the vivo Y52s 5G with downgrades in the chipset and main camera departments. vivo Y31s listed at China Telecom The vivo Y31s 5G has a Snapdragon 690 chipset and a single memory tier - 6/128 GB. The screen has a 6.58” diagonal and much like on the Y52s is of the LCD variety. vivo Y31s 5G The dual setup on the...

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