Meizu Watch to arrive alongside Meizu 18 series

Meizu is already working on the 18 series, and we saw two devices get certified by CCC with support for 40W and 30W charging, respectively. Now, a device with the model number M007W was spotted at the CNIPO (China National Intellectual Property Office), and thanks to the attached images, we know it will be a smartwatch. Meizu Watch The device has a square screen and one button on the right side. There's definitely a strong resemblance to the Apple Watch, especially with the rubbery band that has a very similar buckle. We expect the smartwatch to arrive alongside the Meizu 18...

Read More

Oxygen OS 11 launcher arrives to OnePlus phones running Android 10

OnePlus is currently rolling out version 5.0.2.4 of its Oxygen OS launcher that’s compatible with OnePlus devices running on Android 10. Users with a OnePlus 6/6T, 7/7 Pro/7T/ 7T Pro and the original OnePlus Nord will be able to get the updated launcher. According to Android Police, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G and N100 will receive the updated launcher later this week as confirmed by a OnePlus spokesperson. The new launcher brings an updated look to the Shelf feature and some tweaks to the app drawer. Version 4.X • Version 5.X Source: Android Police In the meantime, The...

Read More

James Bond film No Time to Die further delayed to reshoot Nokia product placements

Back in 2020, a Nokia executive teased a partnership between the company and the latest James Bond film to show off the latest Nokia smartphone of its time, which was 2019. The 007 film No Time to Die was originally set to be released in theaters in April of 2019 until the departure of the film’s original director and co-writer Danny Boyle caused delays, further pushed back after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was set to be released in April of 2021 until a more recent delay was announced. A report from The Sun cited industry insiders who were aware of the at least...

Read More

Realme X7 and X7 Pro are coming to India on February 4

The Realme X7 and X7 Pro introduced last September will make their debut in India on February 4. The launch will be streamed on Realme's official YouTube channel and social media accounts starting at 12:30PM IST (7AM UTC). Realme sent us a special media invite for the launch of the X7 series in India. It includes a real MediaTek chip that has text MT6853V on it with designator "TN", which is associated with the Dimensity 800U. This confirms at least one of the two smartphones will be powered by the Dimensity 800U. Chances are the X7 will come with Dimensity 800U like its Chinese...

Read More

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra durability test uncovers two separate screen protectors

Samsung's latest and greatest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S21 Ultra, is already on its way to those who pre-ordered one, and while you wait for yours, aren't you interested in a good old fashioned durability test? Of course you are, and JerryRigEverything is here to deliver, as always. Weirdly enough, the scratch test reveals that Samsung shipped Zack's unit with not one, but two screen protectors applied onto the Gorilla Glass Victus, which to us seems like overkill. And it's also not something we've ever heard of before as a practice in the mobile world, so maybe this was just an...

Read More

Sony announces flagship Alpha 1 mirrorless camera with 50MP sensor and 8K video

Sony has announced its flagship Alpha series mirrorless camera, the Alpha 1. The A1 combines the best of Sony's other mirrorless cameras — the A7R, the A7S, and the A9 — and takes it all to the next level to create the best hybrid photo and video camera that the company currently has to offer. The A1 has a new 50.1MP full-frame stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor with an upgraded BIONZ XR image processor. The new sensor offers 15+ stops of dynamic range for videos and stills through its ISO 100-32,000 range (expandable to 50-102,400 for stills). You can also create 199MP images using the...

Read More

Samsung Display details new energy-efficient OLED used in the Galaxy S21 Ultra

Samsung Display revealed more details on the new generation of power-efficient OLED panels, which is currently adorning the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Not only is it more efficient but brighter too. The OLED is cutting the power draw by 16% while increasing brightness too. The results from our Galaxy S21 Ultra testing proves that the display can get really bright and the battery runtimes seem to confirm Samsung's claims that the panel is more efficient as well. We all know that OLEDs use organic light-emitting diodes and Samsung has come up with a new material that increases the moving speed...

Read More

Samsung resumes One UI 3.0 update for the Galaxy S10

Just a couple of days ago, Samsung hit the pause button on the One UI 3.0/Android updatefor the Galaxy S10 series, but it is now seeding the latest software once again. So far, no official statement has cleared the air so we can only suspect that issues were discovered were quickly resolved. The new firmware version for the Galaxy S10 is G975FXXU9EUA4 and Switzerland appears to be one of the first to get it. If you weren't able to upgrade the software, you will be given the chance in the following days again while those of you who reported issues related to the camera and the device...

Read More

Apple watchOS 7.3 update brings ECG to more countries, Unity watch faces

The latest software update for Apple’s Watch line dubbed watchOS 7.3 will be available to download later today. It brings a new Unity watch face collection that pays homage to the Pan-African flag which ties in with Apple’s Black History Month initiatives. In addition, the new update unlocks the electrocardiogram (ECG) and irregular heart rate rhythm features for Apple Watch Series 4 and above in Japan, Mayotte, the Philippines, and Thailand. Apple Fitness+ subscribers can also expect to see the new Time to Walk feature which helps you relax on walks with cameos from celebrities. ...

Read More

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei launches new company tomorrow

After leaving OnePlus in October, co-founder Carl Pei moved on to a new venture – exactly what will be revealed tomorrow. His new company is headquartered in London, so the announcement will start at 11 am UK time (which matches UTC time right now). The new company is working on consumer electronics, a market Pei knows well. The focus will be on music gadgets – headphones and more, but again the details are kept tightly under wraps. We don’t even know what the new company will be called yet. Carl Pei: "The fresh smell of limitless potential", posted on Instagram two weeks ago We...

Read More

Apple has a new SVP of Hardware Engineering, the lead on iPhone 12 and M1

A shakeup at Apple's top will see current Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus become the Senior VP, while now-former SVP Dan Riccio will be working on a "new project" at Apple. John Ternus has been the VP under Riccio since 2013 and led the team that designed the hardware of the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, as well as working on the M1 chip. As SVP of Hardware Engineering Ternus will lead the engineering of the Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod and will report directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Meanwhile Dan Riccio will also continue to report directly to Cook on a special "new...

Read More

Sony Xperia Pro finally on sale as a $2,500 US exclusive

We knew it was coming, but boy were we not prepared for the price! Sony has finally released its Xperia Pro spinoff to the Xperia 1 II smartphone, that it announced in February of 2020. It's a US exclusive that's primarily available through Verizon Wireless with a exorbitant $2,500 price tag. Sony waited for the announcement of its new alpha 1 full-frame camera to make the Xperia Pro available in the US market. The Xperia Pro is a beefier version of the Xperia 1 II with four 5G (mmWave) antennas and a micro-HDMI connector. It lets you use it as an external monitor for your Sony...

Read More

Meizu 18 series will come without a bundled charger, certification reveals

Meizu will join the growing list of companies that ship premium phones without a charger in the box – and it looks like the first phones to have that “honor” will be the Meizu 18 and 18 Pro, which received certifications in China. One of the phones will have a 4,500 mAh battery and will support 40W wired fast charging. The other will drop to a 4,000 mAh battery and 30W charging. For comparison, the Meizu 17 and 17 Pro both had 4,500 mAh batteries and 30W charging. Two Meizu phones incoming with 40W and 30W charging support, but no bundled chargers It seems that Meizu will add...

Read More

Apple is facing two new lawsuits over throttling iPhones in Italy and Portugal

At the end of 2017 Apple admitted it slowed down iPhones whose battery had worn out and it was immediately hit with lawsuits. The “batterygate” saga is far from over – an Italian consumer protection agency, Altroconsumo, has filed a lawsuit against the company, seeking compensation of €60 per device (€60 million total). It isn’t alone, this is just a continuation of the similar suits filed in Belgium and Spain last month. There’s another one coming, a suit will be filed in Portugal in the next few weeks. All four cases target the following models: iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, 6s and 6s...

Read More

Apple is facing two new lawsuits over throttling iPhones in Italy and (soon) Portugal

At the end of 2017 Apple admitted it slowed down iPhones whose battery had worn out and it was immediately hit with lawsuits. The “batterygate” saga is far from over – an Italian consumer protection agency, Altroconsumo, has filed a lawsuit against the company, seeking compensation of €60 per device (€60 million total). It isn’t alone, this is just a continuation of the similar suits filed in Belgium and Spain last month. There’s another one coming, a suit will be filed in Portugal in the next few weeks. All four cases target the following models: iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, 6s and 6s...

Read More

ZTE Blade X1 5G comes with Snapdragon 765G and $384 price tag

The latest 5G handset from ZTE is the Blade X1. It will be exclusive to US MVNO carrier Visible which operates on Verizon’s network. The X1 is actually quite similar to ZTE’s Blade V2020 5G with the only difference being the Blade X1 is powered by the Snapdragon 765G chipset. You get a 6.5-inch IPS LCD with FHD+ resolution and a punch-hole cutout for the 16MP selfie cam. The back houses a quad-camera setup with a 48MP primary shooter backed by an 8MP ultrawide lens and two 2MP modules for macro shots and depth data. The phone also packs a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The X1 5G...

Read More

Apple introduces Time to Walk feature for Fitness+ users

Walking has become a favorite activity for many in these pandemic times, and Apple just introduced a way to make it more interesting. Starting this week, the company is bringing a feature called Time to Walk - it is available to Apple Watch owners who have subscribed to the Fitness+ program. The new feature comes with narration and favorite playlists by celebrities such as Dolly Parton and Shawn Mendes. Every week until the end of April, there will be new episodes with guests, and all previous will be stored in the Workout app of the Watch. First Time to Walk guests Every...

Read More

Motorola Edge S is official with Snapdragon 870, 5G and triple camera

As promised, the Motorola Edge S is now official and on sale in China. This is the first phone to claim the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 870. It's built on a 7nm process, has an 8-core processor with one Cortex-A78 core running at the highest-in-smartphone 3.2GHz. The Motorola Edge S naturally has 5G built in. You can configure the phone with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM, 128GB or 256GB (8/256GB) of UFS 3.1 storage. The display is a 6.7-inch 90Hz IPS LCD of 2520x1080p resolution and offers HDR10 support. It has two cameras built-into it - 16MP main and 8MP ultrawide. The fingerprint scanner...

Read More

India issues permanent ban for 59 Chinese apps including TikTok and WeChat

The Indian government banned over 250 mobile apps in the span of several months, citing issues with data collection and user privacy. Some of them include the popular TikTok, WeChat, Baidu, Alibaba’s main browser UC Browser, several Xiaomi-related apps, and lots of games. Today, the Asian country has followed through and completely banned 59 apps after company representatives failed to impress the government with their responses over key matters like data security and privacy. The permanent ban is under Section 69A of the IT Act, accusing the apps of engaging in activities...

Read More

The Red Magic 6 is coming in Q1, will have a Tencent edition

Red Magic and Tencent announced a strategic partnership today that will see the two companies join forces to create phones with bespoke optimizations for a superior gaming experience on the go. The Red Magic 6 will be the first product of this union, specifically the Tencent edition of the phone. It will be released in China in the first quarter. The phone will feature SolarCore, Tencent’s game acceleration engine. Details are sparse, but it’s a system that balances the phone’s resources (chipset, RAM, network connection) to speed up loading times and keep frame rates consistent....

Read More

Samsung brings ECG and blood pressure measurements to Galaxy Watches across 31 countries

After a long while Samsung is finally bringing electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood pressure monitoring support for its Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Watch Active2 smartwatches. Samsung’s Health Monitor app was granted CE-marking for conforming with health, safety, and environmental protection standards within the European Economic Area. Now users in all 27 EEA member states alongside the UK, Chile, Indonesia, and the UAE will be able to take their blood pressure and take ECG readings directly from their compatible smartwatches. Prior to the newly added countries, the two health services were...

Read More

Xiaomi to launch a Mi 10 refresh with Snapdragon 870 SoC

Xiaomi's Mi 10 lineup currently includes eight smartphones - Mi 10 5G, Mi 10 Pro 5G, Mi 10 Ultra, Mi 10T 5G, Mi 10T Pro 5G, Mi 10 Lite 5G, Mi 10T Lite 5G, and Mi 10i 5G. Except for the last three, all smartphones in the series are powered by the Snapdragon 865 SoC. Now we hear the Chinese phone maker is working on a new Mi 10 variant with the freshly announced Snapdragon 870 at the helm. Word comes from a reliable tipster Digital Chat Station, who didn't detail the specs of the new Mi 10 but said that it will be priced around CNY3,500 ($540/€445) in China. Xiaomi Mi 10 5G The...

Read More

Samsung expects Galaxy S21's total shipments to match Galaxy S20

The initial demand for the Galaxy S21 lineup in may be higher than that for the Galaxy S20, but Samsung isn't getting carried away. The Korean company expects to ship 26 million units of the new phones - exactly the same amount as last year’s Galaxy S20. Sources say that despite the fact the S21 is a more attractive lineup than its predecessor, people won’t be able to visit offline stores as much, affecting sales in general. At the same time, Samsung underestimated demand for Ultra, causing a shortage in supply and missing on some sales. Out of all 26 million units, 10 million...

Read More

Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 appears on Geekbench

Samsung’s rugged Galaxy XCover series of devices are meant to withstand heavy-duty use and are often the go-to choice for many first responders around the world. A new Geekbench listing is now shedding some light on the upcoming Galaxy XCover 5 bearing the SM-G525F model number. Galaxy XCover 5 Geekbench listing The device managed 182-points in the single-core department and 1,148-points on the multi-core thread. It is powered by Samsung’s entry-level Exynos 850 and 4GB RAM. We can also see the device boots Android 11. As with other XCover phones, this one will sport military-grade...

Read More

Tipster claims OnePlus 9, 9 Pro won't feature periscope lens

Leaked renders and images of the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro suggested these phones won't come with periscope lenses, and we've heard the same from reliable tipster Digital Chat Station, who said the lineup will come with a regular telephoto unit instead. Now tipster Max Jambor has corroborated that bit, saying neither the vanilla 9 nor the Pro variant will feature a periscope module. It's unclear why OnePlus doesn't want to implement this tech since Oppo and Realme have launched smartphones with a periscope camera onboard, and it will be interesting to know the Chinese phone maker's rationale...

Read More