OnePlus 9R gets Bitmoji AOD and July 2021 security patch with OxygenOS 11.2.4.4

OnePlus just released the OxygenOS 11.2.4.4 update for the OnePlus 9R that bumps up the Android security patch level on the smartphone to July 2021 and updates the GMS package to June 2021. Additionally, the new firmware optimizes the overheating control management of third-party apps and brings the Bitmoji AOD feature to the 9R, which can be enabled from the smartphone's Settings > Customization > Clock on ambient display > Bitmoji menu. You can check out the full changelog of the update below. System Optimized the overheating control management of third-party...

Read More

Realme Book certified by 3C with 65W charger

Last month, Realme teased two new kinds of products to be offered by the Chinese brand. The Realme Book and Realme Pad were teased on stage during the European Realme GT event. More specifics about the devices weren’t offered right away. In recent news for the Realme Book, the laptop is spotted going through the Chinese 3C where it is certified with charger model number VCA7JECH rated for 65W charging (20V @ 3.25A). The certification was filed by Realme Chongqing Mobile Telecommuncations Corp., Ltd. The laptop looks a lot like Apple’s MacBook Air and some of Huawei’s Windows...

Read More

Another Motorola Edge 20 ‘Fusion’ tier revealed in latest leak

In an exclusive report from Deal N Tech, it’s been discovered there will be a total of four Motorola Edge 20 variants. The report reveals leaked banner graphics containing the official marketing names of the Edge 20 lineup. In addition to the previously leaked Edge 20 lineup, which included three variants: the Edge 20 Lite, Edge 20, and Edge 20 Pro, there will be a fourth variant called the Edge 20 Fusion. We’ve not yet seen leaked renders of this variant. A previous report mentioned that a completely different variant would arrive to the US, so we wonder if that will be the Edge...

Read More

Microsoft’s revenue up 20% YoY, surpasses analysts’ expectations

Microsoft has reported its earnings for the latest quarter ending on June 30, the fourth quarter of its fiscal year. Overall revenue came in at $46.15 billion, higher than the originally projected $44.24 billion estimated by analysts. This, according to Refinitiv. Revenue was up 21% YoY. $14.69 billion of revenue was earned by Microsoft’s “Productivity and Business Processes” while the “More Personal Computing” segment raked in $14.09 billion This segment includes revenue from Windows, hardware, gaming, and search ads. Meanwhile, revenue from sales of Windows licenses to OEMs (preloaded on...

Read More

OnePlus Nord 2 is now available

Right on schedule, the OnePlus Nord 2, which was announced last week, has become available today in continental Europe, the UK, and India. You can purchase the phone from OnePlus' website with shipping within 24 hours starting at €399, £399, or INR 29,999 for the model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. If you want the one with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, it's €499, £469, or INR 34,999, respectively. Both hues are up for grabs - Gray Sierra and Blue Haze. Over in India, the 6/128GB model that was supposed to be priced at INR 27,999 is not available at this time. If...

Read More

Poco X3 GT is not headed to India

Earlier today the oft-leaked and long-rumored Poco X3 GT was announced internationally, the week after the Poco F3 GT made its debut in India. And while the F3 GT has so far been exclusive to India (although that may change at any point), the X3 GT is not ever going to be sold in the subcontinent officially. This information comes straight from Anuj Sharma, Country Director at Poco India, so it's pretty much settled. He says that Poco already has "unmatched products" in the country, with the X3 Pro and F3 GT, and so the point seems to be there's no need for the X3 GT to land there...

Read More

Upcoming iPad Air to get dual cameras and Pro-like design, iPad mini will get a larger screen

The upcoming iPad Air refresh (5th generation) will adopt the chassis of the current iPad Pro 11 (2021), writes Japanese blog MacOtakara, based on information from the supply chain. The two are already quite similar with squared off sides and a side-mounted TouchID fingerprint reader. However, the new design will include getting a second camera on the back, an ultra wide shooter, plus possibly a LiDAR sensor. This last part is unlikely, however. Apple will want to maintain some separation between the Air and the Pro. Part of that will be the chipset – the blog says only an Apple A15,...

Read More

Huawei Nova 8 SE Life quietly launched in China

A new midrange Huawei smartphone was introduced in China earlier today with the Nova 8 SE Life edition. It is a trimmed down version of last year’s Nova 8 SE. There’s a slightly larger 6.6-inch display with FHD+ resolution upfront though its an LCD instead of an OLED panel. The waterdrop notch has been replaced by a punch hole cutout for the 16MP selfie camera. The rear cameras are also downgraded with a 48MP main shooter alongside two 2MP modules for macro shots and depth data. There’s a Kirin 710A chipset under the hood paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. The battery is...

Read More

Leak suggests that Xiaomi is working on a Mi Band X with a 360º flexible display

Xiaomi’s Mi Bands have been highly successful and highly affordable. However, the company may be planning something rather high-end dubbed the Mi Band X. A photo from a presentation leaked and it describes a 360º display. The band will have a flexible display that warps around your wrist. And it will not have a buckle so that it can cover the full 360º. In lieu of a buckle, a magnet will be used to snap the band around your wrist. The leaked slide • Machine translation The slide promises that the Mi Band X will be thin and light. Such an advanced device will obviously not be...

Read More

Latest OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro comes to fix Widevine issues, improve the power usage

OxygenOS 11.0.2.1 is rolling out to OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro owners. One of the most important issues on the changelog is a fix for the DRM bug that dropped both phones to Widevine L3, limiting them to streaming SD video. Some users report that their phones went up to Widevine L1 (allowing them to stream high definition video) immediately after the update. Others were not so lucky and their devices were still showing L3. Widevine L1 after a successful update Several users have reported that they successfully resolved the issue by clearing the cache for the Netflix, Amazon Prime Video...

Read More

Poco X3 GT in for review

Somehow “GT” became a designation for gaming phones, we’ve seen multiple examples in the last couple of months. The Poco F3 GT went official last week, an international Redmi K40 Gaming edition that will become available in India first. It was quickly followed by the Poco X3 GT, which is what we have in front of us today. The two models maintain the relative positions of Poco’s F and X series, that is to say that the X3 GT is the more affordable model of the two. If you squint a little, their spec sheets look quite similar – a 120 Hz display, a Mali-G77 MC9 GPU, 5,000 mAh battery with 67W...

Read More

Huawei P50 Pro 4G's full specs leak ahead of tomorrow's unveiling

Huawei will introduce its P50 series tomorrow, which is said to include a Pro variant as well. The company hasn't divulged much about any smartphones in the P50 lineup yet, but specifications of the P50 Pro 4G (JAD-AL50) surfaced today, leaving little to the imagination. The Huawei P50 Pro 4G will be powered by the Kirin 9000 SoC paired with 8GB RAM. It will have 256GB and 512GB storage options, but you'll be able to add another 256GB of storage externally with an NM card. The P50 Pro 4G will pack a 6.6" 120Hz OLED panel of 2700x1228-pixel resolution with 450 ppi pixel density, 300Hz...

Read More

Mediatek to launch 4nm chipset by the end of 2021

Mediatek held its regular earnings call with investors, and while going through the numbers for the first half of 2021, it also revealed its plans for the rest of the year. One of the major takeaways is the company’s next flagship 5G SoC will be based on the TSMC 4nm process and will enter production this year. The first phones running on the new chip will launch as early as Q1 2022. MTK just said that its on its earnings call that its flagship 5G SoC will be out at the end of the year via TSMC 4nm. Multiple customers with the first one launching in 1Q22— Bryan Ma (@bryanbma) July 27, 2021...

Read More

Poco X3 GT announced with Gorilla Glass Victus display and Dimensity 1100 chipset

Last week Poco brought its F3 GT and now the brand is introducing another GT model dubbed Poco X3 GT. The new device is the international version of the China-exclusive Redmi Note 10 Pro though with a Poco badge in place of the Redmi branding. The front is dominated by a 6.6-inch IPS LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate and FHD+ resolution. Keeping the screen safe is Corning’s latest Gorilla Glass Victus while the punch hole cutout houses a 16MP selfie shooter. The main cam on the back houses a 64MP sensor and is aided by an 8MP ultrawide snapper and a 2MP macro cam. MediaTek’s...

Read More

Samsung teases Galaxy Z Fold3 in official trailer

We already know that August 11 is reserved for Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event and we’re patiently awaiting the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3. Ahead of the announcement, Samsung released a teaser video which builds some more hype ahead of its next-gen foldables. We get a very brief phone history rundown with silhouettes of the Motorola DynaTAC, Nokia 3310, several PDAs and BlackBerry devices which were all considered as good phones at some point in time. The “once we experience better, we never go back” catchphrase certainly rings a bell here and is definitely applicable to the Fold...

Read More

Realme Flash coming on August 3

Earlier this week we brought you an exclusive first look at Realme Flash – the brand’s upcoming phone with magnetic wireless charging. Now Realme has confirmed a Magnetic Innovation Event set for next Tuesday, August 3 where we’ll see the debut of the phone and its magnetic wireless charging solution. Introducing our next leap! Brace yourselves for the Next-Gen of Android Wireless Charging 🧲!Bringing you a Magnificent Magnetic Innovation, featuring #realmeFlash and much more. RT if you can't wait.See you on 3rd August.#MagForFuture #MagDart #DareToLeap pic.twitter.com/SNi1x4IufV— realme...

Read More

Samsung announces One UI 4.0 beta (based on Android 12), Galaxy S21 trio is getting it first

The rumors were true – there is no One UI 3.5, Samsung is jumping straight to version 4.0. It is based on Android 12 and the company is already recruiting beta testers to try it out. Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra owners are invited to sign up for the beta program, which will go live soon. Unfortunately, for now it is only open to users in South Korea. Note: both SIM-free phones and those bought from carriers can participate. The Samsung Galaxy S21 trio will be the first to get One UI 4.0 beta based on Android 12 There’s no set date for the start of the One UI 4.0 beta...

Read More

IDC: Huawei is no longer a Top 5 smartphone company in China

IDC has released its quarterly analysis of the smartphone market in China, and the numbers are great for all major companies that are not named Huawei. According to the data, vivo has become the best-selling brand for Q2 2021, followed by Oppo, Xiaomi, Apple, and the now-independent Honor. The overall market shrank on a yearly basis, mostly because of the hit Huawei has taken on its smartphone business. The former leader is now part of the “Others” group which sold half the units they did last year around. Company Q2 2021 Sales(in million) Q2 2021Market share Q2...

Read More

Newer OnePlus 8T and 9R units are coming with upgraded RAM

Last year's OnePlus 8T, and the 9R announced in March, initially came with LPDDR4X RAM. However, it now turns out newer units of both smartphones now come with faster RAM of the LPDRR5 type. OnePlus 8T • OnePlus 9R It's unclear when OnePlus upgraded the newer units of the 8T and 9R with faster RAM, and the company is also yet to officially confirm the change on its website since the 8T's specs page still says LPDDR4X RAM, while 9R's listing has no mention of the RAM type. OnePlus 8T's specs page • OnePlus 9R's specs page When are not sure about the reason behind the...

Read More

Kantar: most people are looking to buy a 5G phone as shoppers return to stores

Two thirds of people that plan to buy a new phone in the next 6 months will be looking for a 5G model, shows data by Kantar. That is the average around the world, in China a whopping 91% of people want a 5G phone. Care to guess which country has the lowest demand for next-gen networking? It’s Japan with only 55% of future buyers looking for 5G. In the US, 74% of future buyers are are interested in the new networking technology with a fairly even split between the major carriers. This is reflected in the sales too. Of the Top 10 phones sold in China, 7 have 5G connectivity. In the US and...

Read More

Google parent company’s Q2 earnings posts over $61 billion in revenue

Google’s parent company Alphabet posted its earnings report for the quarter ending in June on Tuesday. The company surpassed expectations from Wall Street of $56.23 billion revenue and reached $61.88 billion for its fiscal Q2 of 2021. This accounts for a 62% increase compared to the same quarter in 2020. In particular, Google ad revenues have increased by 69% YoY. In Q2, there was a rising tide of online activity in many parts of the world, and we’re proud that our services helped so many consumers and businesses. Our long-term investments in AI and Google Cloud are helping us drive...

Read More