Black Shark 4 gets a new memory variant

The Black Shark 4 gaming smartphone unveiled in March now comes in a new memory configuration in China - 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. It's priced at CNY2,999 ($470/€385) and is up for purchase through Black Shark's official website and JD.com. At CNY2,999, the new 8GB/256GB model costs the same as the 12GB/128GB version, so the purchase decision depends on whether you want more RAM or storage. The other variants come in 6GB/128GB, 8GB/128GB, and 12GB/256GB configurations, priced at CNY2,499 ($390/€320), CNY2,699 ($420/€345), and CNY3,299 ($515/€425), respectively. The Black Shark 4 is...

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iQOO Z3 price in India rumored

We already know that vivo sub-brand iQOO is going to make the Z3 smartphone official for the Indian market on June 8, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 768G SoC on board. You may however have been wondering about its price. According to a new leak, the phone will start at INR 19,990 for the version with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, although this could also be INR 1,000 more. The 8/128GB version is said to be priced at INR 21,990, while the top of the line variant with 8/256GB is rumored to go for INR 23,990. That's some pretty competitive pricing right there from iQOO, provided of...

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Google follows Apple in letting users opt-out of ad tracking on Android

Apple made a significant change with iOS 14.5, requiring app developers to explicitly ask for the app’s permission to track the user’s information for personalized ads. Apple’s change was meant to give its customers more privacy and transparency when it comes to data collection. Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt on iOS Google has confirmed that it too will make the change for Android users to opt out of ad tracking, but not in the same explicit manner that Apple has done. Starting with Android 12, developers will no longer have access to the user’s Advertising ID and if...

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Realme GT 5G in for review

The latest device we have at the office is the Realme GT 5G. Though it launched in China back in March, it has been announced for India and has been confirmed to come to European markets as well. The Realme GT 5G is positioned in the midrange category but it’s powered by the Snapdragon 888, so it will be getting a lot of attention throughout the year. The phone has a 6.43-inch Super AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate and Full HD+ resolution. The design is conventional: glass on the back with shiny edges around the frame. These edges and the back glass attract fingerprints like...

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Walmart buys 740,000 Samsung Galaxy XCover Pros for use in its stores in the US

With the stroke of a pen the Galaxy XCover Pro becomes a success for Samsung – the company has reached an agreement with retail giant Walmart to sell 740,000 units that will be used by Walmart associates. This is Samsung’s biggest mobile enterprise deal in the US ever. Walmart Global Tech, an in-house software development team, was working on an app that will help employees simplify their daily tasks and assist customers. Features include mobile clock-in and checking schedules. Then Walmart approached Samsung for the hardware side of things and the XCover Pro was chosen for the job. It...

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Sony Xperia 10 III review

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2022 iPad Pro to bring wireless charging, redesigned iPad mini coming in 2021

Apple is looking to bring wireless charging to the iPad Pro in 2022, according to industry sources. The next iPad Pro is said to adopt a glass back in order to achieve wireless charging capabilities and would reportedly use the MagSafe magnetic accessory system. As part of the same report, sources claim that Apple is testing a redesigned iPad mini with narrower screen bezels and no home button. This would mark the first redesign of the iPad mini in its six year history. Previous reports have claimed that Apple would make some iPad's OLED in 2022, possibly the smaller iPad Pro,...

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What could have been: the LG Velvet 2 Pro had an S888 chip and a keyless design

The LG Velvet didn’t revitalize the company’s smartphone business as it had hoped. It was one pricey mid-ranger with a neat design, though nothing jaw dropping. The company is no longer making phones, but here’s a look at what could have been if it had stuck around long enough to introduce the second generation of Velvet. Marketing materials were tweeted out by leakster @FrontTron, who also added helpful translations. This would have been a proper flagship with a Snapdragon 888 chipset, instead of puttering along with a 765G like the Velvet 5G did (or dusting off the old 845 chip like the...

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3’s under-display camera to offer improved light transmittance

There’s plenty of talk that Samsung will announce its first under-display camera on a smartphone with the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold3. Now, tipster IceUniverse is adding some clarity on the matter by addressing a key factor in image quality for such sensors - light transmittance. Based on his tip, the Galaxy Z Fold3’s UD camera will bring over 40% better light transmittance than any other camera of this type thus far. Fold3's UPC transmittance is as high as 40%+, which is much higher than any other brand UPC solutions you have ever seen.— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) June 4, 2021 For...

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Apple finds a new mini-LED supplier for the MacBook 14 and 16 to help with the H2 launch

A couple of weeks ago DigiTimes reported that Apple’s plans to introduce MacBook Pro laptops with mini-LED displays will be hampered by limited supply. In fact, Cupertino is struggling to keep even its first and so far only mini-LED product in stock – orders for the iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) in the US have estimated delivery times around mid to late July. Now the publication brings a spot of good news – Osram Opto Semiconductors has reportedly signed on as a mini-LED supplier that will help with the push to release the new MacBook Pros in the second half of 2021. These are expected in 14”...

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Dimensity 900-powered Oppo runs Geekbench, tops Snapdragon 750G/765G results

Currently we know of only one phone that uses MediaTek’s new Dimensity 900 chipset and that is the Oppo Reno6 5G. That particular chip (MT6877V/ZA) was spotted running Geekbench inside the Oppo CPH2251. Is that the Reno6 5G? Perhaps, but it could be a related Reno device. Geekbench 5 scores: Oppo CPH2251 with Dimensity 900 The score is pretty interesting as the Dimensity 900 is one of the most promising mid-range chipsets to be announced recently. It is a 6nm chip with two Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz), a Mali-G68 MC4 GPU and a 5G modem. Unfortunately we don’t have score results for...

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Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 successor detailed, 4nm process and X65 modem

Exactly one week ago we got the first details about Qualcomm’s next flagship chipset – the Snapdragon 888+ thanks to a Geekbench listing. Today, we get our first set of info on the actual next-gen successor to the SD 888 via well-known leaker Evan Blass who shared a preliminary spec sheet of the next-gen flagship SoC on his Twitter. "SM8450 is Qualcomm's next-gen premium system-on-chip (SoC). It has an integrated Snapdragon X65 5G Modem-RF system. It is fabricated on a 4nm process." pic.twitter.com/u1GXMhOWBf— Evan Blass (@evleaks) June 3, 2021 The SM8450 or Waipio as its known...

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Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888+ detailed, 4nm process and X65 modem

Exactly one week ago we got the first details about Qualcomm’s next flagship chipset – the Snapdragon 888+ thanks to a Geekbench listing. Today, we get our first set of details via well-known leaker Evan Blass who shared a preliminary spec sheet of the upcoming flagship SoC on his Twitter. "SM8450 is Qualcomm's next-gen premium system-on-chip (SoC). It has an integrated Snapdragon X65 5G Modem-RF system. It is fabricated on a 4nm process." pic.twitter.com/u1GXMhOWBf— Evan Blass (@evleaks) June 3, 2021 The SM8450 or Waipio as its known internally will be fabricated on a 4nm process and...

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ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G open sales begin in multiple regions, prices start at $750/€750/£650

When we reviewed the ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G we found that it undercuts the ultimate flagships in terms of price and then uses its superior camera hardware to stand above the phones in its price range. It’s not perfect, but it does offer great value for the money. ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G Specifically, $750/€750/£650 for the base model with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB storage. If you want more memory, the 12/256 GB version is $850/€850/£740. The phone is available in multiple countries around the world starting today, June 4. You can find it on the official store. ZTE officially ships...

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US Government bans investment in Huawei and 58 other Chinese companies

In the latest episode of the US-China geopolitical showdown, President Joe Biden is enforcing a new executive order that bans investment in 59 Chinese companies including Huawei effective from August 2. The new decision prevents US investments in Chinese companies with suspected ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Joining Huawei on the list is chip maker SMIC, telecom operator China Mobile, video surveillance company Hikvision, and a plethora of Chinese defense sector companies. A senior US official confirmed that more Chinese companies will likely be added to the list in the months...

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Realme Watch S gets a new color variant

The Realme Watch S was unveiled last November in Black color, and today it is joined by a new Silver variant. At INR4,999 ($70/€55), it's priced the same as the Black model, and it will go on sale in India starting June 7 through Flipkart and Realme's official website. Except for the color, everything remains the same on the new Silver model, meaning you get a 1.3" screen with Gorilla Glass protection, a 390 mAh battery advertised to offer up to 15 days of endurance, and IP68 water resistance. Realme Watch S Silver variant The Realme Watch S also comes with the camera and...

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