Google I/O 2021 is happening, will be virtual with free attendance

The COVID-19 pandemic took away most in-person events in 2020, with Google canceling entirely its I/O developers conference. Thankfully, this year we’ll see Sundar Pichai on the scene, but it will be a virtual one, which means everyone will be able to attend. The event will take place from May 18-20. Registration has now open and we’ve provided a link at the end of this article. Google I/O 2021 will hold virtual keynotes and workshops focused on “company and product news”. Users will have to register for instructor-led Q&A sessions and there will be AMA (Ask Me Anything) events with...

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Realme GT Neo units worth CNY100 million sold in 10 seconds in first sale

The Realme GT Neo introduced last week went on its first sale in China today, and Realme announced it sold units worth CNY100 million in 10 seconds across different sales channels, which translates to around $15 million at current exchange rates. However, Realme didn't reveal which model sold the most. The GT Neo comes in three memory variants - 6GB/128GB, 8GB/128GB, and 12GB/256GB priced at CNY1,799 ($275/€230), CNY1,999 ($305/€255), and CNY2,299 ($350/€295), respectively. The Realme GT Neo is powered by the Dimensity 1200 SoC and boots Android 11 with Realme UI 2.0 on top. The...

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T-Mobile is giving you a free Samsung Galaxy A32 5G if you trade-in any old phone

T-Mobile is talking a big 5G game today, announcing that it's giving anyone who trades in any old phone a free Samsung Galaxy A32 5G. The old phone has to be in working order, but it can be any phone - the press release even mentions you can trade in a Sidekick, flip phone, whatever. The "free" bit comes after 24 bill credits, so you will need to stick around for two years to benefit, and you still have to pay sales tax - but hey, it's almost free after all. The carrier also announced that it's upgrading all of its customers (including those previously on Sprint) who are on a...

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Nokia 8.1 and Nokia 2.3 get Android 11

HMD Global is now ready to extend the Android 11 update to two more of its past phones - the Nokia 8.1 from 2018 and the Nokia 2.3 from 2019. Both of these are now in the process of receiving the update to the latest stable version of Google's OS. For the Nokia 8.1, the first wave includes units purchased in Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Macau, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam. 10% of units in these markets will receive the update notification immediately, 50% by April 10, and on April 12, 100% should be up to date. Then, at a later date, the second wave will include...

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Our Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 video review is up

The Redmi Note 10 from Xiaomi is one of the new devices on the block and after completing out written review we are now ready with the video breakdown. It’s important to mention that the unit we reviewed is the 4G variant rather than the 5G version. With the Pro moniker absent here, the specs are less far impressive than the other Redmi Note 10 members. You get a smaller 6.43-inch display here which is still of the Super AMOLED variety yet sadly sports a standard 60Hz refresh rate. Design-wise the vanilla Note 10 can easily be mistaken for its more expensive siblings and it...

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Report: iOS 14 reaches 90% adoption

Apple’s iPhones usually boast some of the highest update rates as users are treated to the latest firmware update as soon as it’s released by Apple. According to data from Mixpanel an estimated 90.45% of iOS users are running iOS 14 on their devices. Apple still hasn’t officially backed up these claims but the numbers make sense if we go by previous values. iOS adoption rates (data by Mixpanel) Back in February, Apple published official adoption rate data for iOS 14 with data measured by the App Store. The numbers revealed 86% of all devices introduced in the past four years used...

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Samsung is bringing five Galaxy A 2021 models to the US this month, three with 5G

Samsung is bringing the first batch of Galaxy A 2021 phones to the US, including its first 5G phone under $300. There are three 5G models in total, plus a couple of affordable 4G phones. All but one of them will be available by Friday. None of these are new, by the way, they launched in other markets previously. This is all about the availability in the States. Here’s a handy table with prices and launch dates: Model RAM/Storage Price Available from Samsung Galaxy A52 5G 6/128 GB $500 April 9 Samsung Galaxy A42 5G ...

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Huawei Watch 3 is reportedly coming soon with revamped HarmonyOS and eSIM

The Huawei Watch 2 came out in 2017 with Google Wear OS, but since then the company has shifted its focus to the Watch GT series, which runs its own in-house software. We may finally get a sequel, though. According to a leakster on Weibo, the Huawei Watch 3 will arrive in May (well, in May at the earliest). It won’t run Google’s software, of course. Interestingly, it won’t use the same LiteOS we’ve seen on the GT watches either. Instead it will run HarmonyOS with a brand new UI. Also, it will support more third-party apps, something currently lacking in the GT series. This model will...

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Google may have leaked an image of the upcoming Pixel Buds A

Google may have leaked the upcoming Pixel Buds A TWS headset all by itself with an email it sent out to Nest owners. The image features the buds in their charging case and while they look very similar to the second generation Buds, there’s a key difference. Google's email to Nest owners may have leaked the upcoming Pixel Buds A The buds themselves and the interior of the charging case are both green. A darker shade of green than the Quite Mint found on the premium Buds (which also have a dual tone design not seen in the leaked image). Here’s an image of them for...

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The realme GT is coming to India next month

The “Know your realmers” is a regular feature in the realme forums, which introduces key members of the company to its fans, it is essentially a Q&A session. The latest focuses Francis Wong, the Chief Marketing Officer for realme India and Europe. “I wish I could tell you the device I am using, it is our next flagship and it will launch as part of our 3rd anniversary celebration. Just wait for it,” says Wong. It’s not hard to guess which phone that is – it’s the realme GT 5G. The company’s other recent launch, the realme 8 Pro, is already available in India. Note that the Q&A session...

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Oppo A95 5G appears on carrier website ahead of announcement

Oppo launched the Reno5 Z earlier today and now another mid-ranger enters our radar. A smartphone called Oppo A95 5G popped up on China Telecom’s website with full specs and official renders. After a detailed inspection, the phone isn’t entirely new - it is actually the very same Reno5 Z, just with one camera fewer on the back. Oppo A95 5G The Oppo A95 5G will have a 6.43” AMOLED panel, and a single punch hole in the upper left corner for the 16MP selfie camera. The screen has Full HD+ and seemingly standard 60Hz refresh rate as no HRR screen is listed. On the inside,...

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Sony unleashes two teaser videos for the upcoming Xperia Mark III launch

Sony will unveil new Xperia phones on April 14 and has started building up buzz with a couple of teaser videos. Both lean on the company’s expertise in cameras and audio – as Sony describes itself, it is a “creative entertainment company with a solid foundation of technology”. The first video makes it clear that the Mark III models are on the way, though we don’t see much of the Sony Xperia 1 III or Xperia 10 III, which are the most likely stars of next week’s event. We do see a lot of other Sony hardware, though, headphones, cameras and various professional equipment. Of course,...

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Report: Sony continues to lead the smartphone image sensor market, Samsung is in second place

The smartphone image sensor market grew to $15 billion last year, up 13% year over year, according to data by Strategy Analytics. This is despite an 8.8% decrease in smartphone shipments compared to 2019. Sony remains the market leader with a 46% share. The company improved its numbers compared to the first half of 2020 when it had a 44% share. However, its dominance continues to be challenged by Samsung. The Koreans hold a 29% share as the second half of last year wasn’t as kind to them as the first when they had a 32% slice. OmniVision is in third place with 10% (up from 9% in...

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Realme Buds Air 2 Neo unveiled: lower price, same Active Noise Cancellation

As expected, the Realme Buds Air 2 Neo launch about a month and a half after the original Buds Air 2. The Neo buds and their case have a different design, though all the good features are still on board. Even better, these are some of the most affordable TWS buds with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). The Neo buds match their pricier siblings with 25 dB noise reduction (enabled by the same custom Relame R2 chip). There’s a Transparent mode if you need to chat with someone in person and dual mics for in-call noise cancellation if you need to talk to someone remote. Battery life isn’t...

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Lenovo Legion 2 Pro design and colors officially confirmed, will feature dual X-axis linear motor

Recently leaked live images of the Lenovo Legion 2 Pro arriving tomorrow revealed what the smartphone looks like. Now the company has shared a few more official teasers on its Weibo account, confirming the design we saw in those leaked pictures. The posters confirm that Legion 2 Pro will have at least two color options, and Lenovo also confirmed the presence of shoulder triggers on the smartphone for a better gaming experience. Lenovo Legion 2 Pro will have two color options and come with gaming triggers Additionally, the Legion 2 Pro will come with a next-generation...

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LG Q1 2021 guidance reveals record-breaking profits and revenue

LG Electronics might be moving away from the smartphone market, but everything else seems to be going according to plan, even surpassing expectations. The Korean giant has released its preliminary report for Q1 2021, and the results are rather impressive - both revenue and operating profit increased a lot, compared with the same quarter last year. LG Twin Towers HQ in Seoul, South Korea The consolidated revenues between January and March 2021 were KRW 18.8 trillion, or about $16.8 billion. The profit for the quarter was around KRW1.5 trillion, which equals $1.3 billion. Looking at the...

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Gionee M3 announced in China with Helio P60 and 5,000 mAh battery

Chinese brand Gionee is still releasing new phones for its local market and the latest model is called the M3. It packs a 6.53-inch HD+ resolution screen with a waterdrop notch for the 8MP selfie shooter and is powered by the MediaTek P60 chipset with 6/8GB RAM and 128/256GB storage. Gionee M3 in green and sky colors The back houses an octagon cutout for the 16MP primary camera, 5MP ultrawide snapper and two 2MP modules. The phone packs a 5,000 mAh battery which supports 18W charging. Dimensions come in at 163.2 mm x 75.9 mm x 9.3 mm, while the weight rounds out to 201...

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Samsung sees soaring Q1 earnings driven by strong Galaxy S21 series

Samsung’s Q1 earnings forecast sees a reported total sales of KRW 65 trillion ($58.2 billion) fueled by strong sales of the flagship Galaxy S21 series and the home electronics appliances. The total operating profit jumped to KRW 9.3 trillion ($8.3 billion) which is up by 44% compared to the values for Q1 2020. The sales figures represent a 17% growth on a per-year basis. In addition, the mobile division is expected to rack in a combined KRW 4 trillion ($3.5 billion) in income while the TV and home appliances sector has served as a solid contributor. Keep in mind these are still...

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Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra global sales begin from Malaysia

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra will go global, the company announced at the phone’s launch last week. And it's happening tomorrow when pre-orders will open in Malaysia. It will cost MYR4,299 ($1,040) and will have 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage. Early birds can get a free t-shirt and a keychain with their purchase. You will be able to reserve the phone at authorized Mi stores around Malaysia, as well as major online retailers Lazada and Shopee. Meanwhile in China, the company has posted the official teardown video of the Mi 11 Ultra. We already know what’s inside, thanks to a previous video, but...

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