TWS segment sees significant growth in 2020, more to come in 2021

A new report released by Counterpoint Research, says the wearables market continues to grow quickly. The latest research shows that 52% of wearables in Q3 2020 consisted of hearables. Smartwatches and fitness trackers accounted for 41%. Skinwear, bodywear, and eyewear accounted for the remaining 7% share. Source: Counterpoint Research. *Includes smartwatches and bands. The hearables category alone has grown by 83% compared to 2019. A total of 238 million hearables units are were sold last year. The trend around removing jacks and earphones from devices and boxes is becoming a...

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Trump Administration blacklists Xiaomi, US investors must pull out by end of year

The Trump administration has designated Xiaomi as a “Communist Chinese military company” which would qualify it to be one of the blacklisted companies under the Trump Administration’s Executive Order from November that bars American securities and investment companies from putting capital resources on investments that fund “Communist Chinese military companies”. That executive order stated that the “PRC exploits United States investors to finance the development and modernization of its military,” by selling securities to US investors that trade on public stock exchanges both in the US and...

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Google announces its acquisition of Fitbit has been completed

On Thursday, Google announced that its acquisition of Fitbit is finally complete in a press release on its website. The announcement was made by Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President of Devices and Services for Google. In the release, Osterloh emphasizes that the acquisition of the wearables company “has always been about the devices, not data” in an effort to clarify Google’s intentions with the purchase of Fitbit. Google looks forward to utilizing the talents of the Fitbit team to eventually develop its own wearable devices, much like how Google’s acquisition of Nest enabled the company...

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Check out our Samsung Galaxy S21 lineup key features video

Today was a very big day for Samsung, as you may already know. The Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra were finally unveiled after months of rumors, leaks, and speculation. So now that the cat's out of the official bag, we couldn't wait to tell you all about the trio. And what better way to do that than a quick video about their key features? Exactly. Here it is. We run you through everything that's important about the new devices (and there is a lot of stuff to cover), in just under eight minutes. We call that efficient. So sit back and enjoy the ride! Of course there's much more to...

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Here's our first look at Windows 10X in use

Microsoft announced Windows 10X back in 2019 as an operating system designed for use on dual-screen devices. Then last year, the company changed direction, and announced that it would be pivoted to work on single-screen devices, such as laptops. While the OS is yet to release, a near-final working build of the OS has leaked, which has allowed people to get it installed and running. In this video by Windows Central, we can see the OS running on a PC. The video showcases the redesigned UI of the OS, something we had only seen in screenshots before. Windows 10X has revamped...

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Samsung Galaxy S21-series announcement coverage wrap-up

It sure was a busy day, as is becoming a tradition when Samsung holds one of its Unpacked events. The company announced another a trio of flagship models alongside the Galaxy Buds Pro with smarter ANC and even better audio quality, and the Smart Tag trackers. The S21 Ultra is surely looking like one of the most formidable cameraphones we've ever seen, while the S21 and S21+ bring a new design, but comparatively fewer upgrades over the outgoing S20 and S20+. The good news is all three are cheaper than their predecessors, but the bad news is that chargers and headphones are gone from the...

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Samsung announces Galaxy Smart Tag and Smart Tag+ trackers

Samsung’s big Unpacked event is in the books and with all the limelight focused on the three new Galaxy S phones, it’s would be easy to miss out on the Galaxy Smart Tag – Samsung’s latest Bluetooth tracking tile. It comes in two variants – Smart Tag that uses Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy (LE) and Smart Tag+ that leverages Ultrawide Band (UWB) and will launch later this year. Both trackers help you locate missing items when you attach them to whatever you see fit. You can clip them up to your keys, wallet, backpack or even to your pet’s leash. They pair with Samsung’s SmartThings app and...

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Hot take: Samsung Galaxy S21 lineup

It’s not quite February like the good old days but Samsung announced its latest flagship series with the Galaxy S21 trio. The mainstream flagships of the world's largest manufacturer are understandably a big deal for the industry as a whole, so we thought we'd share some early thoughts on what we like and what rubbed us the wrong way. Here’s our hot take on the Galaxy S21 series. Winner: Pricing Samsung is asking less for its S-series this year with the S21 starting at €850/£770, the S21+ going for €1,050/£950 while the S21 Ultra starts from €1,250/£1,150 for the 12/128GB trim. This...

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Here are Samsung's Galaxy S21 series infographics

Samsung had a busy day announcing its three new flagship smartphones, and among many other things, the company outed a couple of infographics describing its latest devices in detail. You can always check our spec pages for the S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra to find out every single detail, but Samsung's infographics provide a quick overview of the most important aspects. Here's the one talking about the S21 Ultra: And here's the one that's about the S21 and S21+:

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Check out all the official promo videos for Galaxy S21 series and Galaxy Buds Pro

Samsung had its first big event of the year today, unveiling its new mainstream flagship smartphone trio with the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra. We also got the company's most premium TWS earbuds yet with the Galaxy Buds Pro and a couple of smart trackers - the Galaxy Smart Tag and Smart Tag+. As the tradition goes on such occasions the company also had a bunch of videos to share, highlighting the key features of each new devices and garnishing them with some stunning visuals.. The Galaxy S21 Ultra understandably got the most...

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Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. S21+ vs. S21 Ultra - Pros and Cons

The Galaxy S21 trio is here and it comes with two important discounts. First, we had to wait less than 12 months for it. And second, they are €50 cheaper than last year’s models (€100 in the case of the Ultra). But is it even worth upgrading from an S20 to an S21? That’s a topic for another article, here we wanted to focus on how the new S21 models compare against each other. Remember that pre-orders will run until January 29, so you have time to think about which one to get. The lists below offer quick reminders of the Pros and Cons of each of the three. Samsung Galaxy...

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Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro announced with smarter active noise cancelling

Along with its three new S series phones, Samsung also announced its Galaxy Buds Pro truly wireless headphones, which are supposed to be the company's new flagship in this segment. They draw inspiration from the Galaxy Buds+ design but claim to offer even better ergonomics and longer listening times. Additionally they promise better audio quality and bring the active noise cancelling from the Buds Live. The Galaxy Buds Pro have 11mm woofers for deeper sound and 6.5mm tweeters to deliver crisp trebles. Samsung says the current setup improves the sound quality quite a bit, even compared...

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Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+ bring new design, modest upgrades

With the Ultra having the clear technological superiority, the Galaxy S21 and S21+ offer to fill smaller pockets and smaller budgets instead. In fact, these two are €50 cheaper than their 2020 predecessors (if you look at the 5G models). The Contour-Cut camera and dual-tone paint jobs help these two stand out from the crowd. Their flat screens are similarly distinctive in an age where “premium” equates to “curved screen”. These two phones are nearly twins in terms of hardware, but their size makes them easily to tell apart. And it’s exactly their size and what that entails that make...

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Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra announced with S Pen support, dual telephoto lenses

The Galaxy S series has been around for over a decade but this year we’re starting to see some major changes as the company reshuffles its portfolio. The division between the S Ultra and the other S-phones has become quite stark, at the same time the division between the S Ultra and Note Ultra has blurred. Samsung introduced the Ultra badge a little under a year ago. Back then, the camera was the major difference between it and the Plus model. That is true this year as well, but the display has emerged as another important distinction. Easily the most impressive of the three new models...

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Which is best for cloud gaming?

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Huawei acquires 90 patents from BlackBerry

BlackBerry used to be a huge company a decade ago, and its devices were among the most popular around. Fast forward to 2021 and the brand is nothing like its past self, being unable to adapt to the new smartphone realities. However its intellectual property is still relevant and now a new report says Huawei has acquired 90 patents from Blackberry, most of them security-related, and later the information was confirmed by a company spokesperson. BlackBerry Key2 According to BlackBerry, the transaction was about patents in the United States and is a very small transaction, not being part...

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HTC Wildfire E3 appears in Google Play Console

HTC’s Wildfire series will get a new member soon with the upcoming Wildfire E3 which appeared in a Google Play Console listing. The Wildfire E will be a budget option with a waterdrop notch screen of HD+ resolution, 3GB RAM and the MediaTek MT6762d aka Helio P22 chipset. On the software side, we have Android 10. As a whole, this is vaguely similar to last year’s Wildfire E2 which premiered in Russia. HTC Wildfire E listing and design Previously we spotted the Wildfire E2 in a similar certification way back in August. That model shares plenty of similarities though it comes with...

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Watch Samsung's Unpacked event here

Samsung decided to drop its flagship lineup early this year, allowing it to soak the limelight for longer. The day finally came and Samsung is about to kick off its online announcement event in at 3PM GMT. We've embedded the stream below for you convenience so you can follow it live from the comfort of your home or office. Want to be in the know before the event starts? Check out our comprehensive article on what to expect from the Galaxy S21 trio. And even though this many leaks suggest little surprises are left, we still hope Samsung might have something up its sleeve....

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Realme Link source code reveals Realme Watch 2 and Watch 2 Pro coming soon

Realme introduced its first smartwatch dubbed Realme Watch in May, and it appears the company is on the verge of delivering the Watch 2 and Watch 2 Pro which were mentioned in the source code of Realme Link - an app that serves as the central hub for Realme's AIoT products. The code doesn't divulge anything about the Watch 2 and Watch 2 Pro, but you can expect them to come with some improvements over the first-gen Watch which sports a 1.4" LCD and packs a 160 mAh battery. Realme Watch The Realme Watch has heart rate and SpO2 sensors onboard, and it also supports over a dozen...

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Samsung to trial under-display camera on Blade Blaze laptop before phone debut

While all eyes are set on the Galaxy S21 announcement scheduled for later today, Samsung Display posted a teaser for an upcoming laptop with an OLED display that will also sport an under-display camera. The device in question is called Blade Bezel and will be the first product in Samsung’s portfolio to bring a camera under the display. The accompanying teaser video shows out the laptop and focuses primarily on its display. The Blade Bezel's OLED panel is advertised as just 1mm thick and weighs 130 grams. Thanks thanks to the added screen real estate from the removed bezels, the...

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Oppo A93 5G listed on Chinese retailer's website with 90Hz display

Yesterday we learned Oppo is planning to announce the A93 5G as it was listed on China Telecom's website with full specs and renders. Today, the smartphone was spotted on Chinese retailer TMall's website in three colors. The TMall listing reveals that A93 5G will pack a 6.5" FullHD+ IPS display instead of AMOLED panel as previously believed. However, unlike its 4G counterpart, the A93 5G's screen will have a refresh rate of 90Hz. Oppo A93 4G • Oppo A93 5G The images we saw yesterday showed the A93 5G with a curved display, but the new, official renders tell us the...

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Snapchat and YouTube also suspend Donald Trump’s accounts

Snapchat and YouTube are the two latest platforms that have suspended Donald Trump’s accounts after Washington DC's events on January 6, 2021. According to Axios, Snapchat removed the President's content multiple times after being warned of violating policies. The indefinite suspension “was sparked not just by actions on Snapchat, but by Trump’s records of inciting violence on other platforms.” On the other hand, YouTube is implementing a one-week suspension of his channel after earning a strike under the platform’s policies, CNN reported. The video platform also deleted content from...

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Xiaomi might bring 80W wireless charging to the Mi 11 Pro

Xiaomi introduced the Mi 11 smartphone at the end of 2020, becoming the first company to launch a device with the Snapdragon 888 chipset. We've since seen a number of solid reports that the the company is preparing to launch a Mi 11 Pro in February, further expanding the lineup. Now, according to a source from China, the new Mi 11 Pro (or Mi 11 Pro+) device will have 80W wireless fast charging. Xiaomi has already developed the technology but before it gets to phones, it needs to clear verification from authorities. If the tech makes it (a rather big if, granted) the Mi 11 Pro will...

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