Xiaomi to bring 108 MP camera to Redmi Note 11 series

Xiaomi is bringing the Redmi Note 11 series in China on Thursday, and today we got to learn another key feature about the new lineup. At least one of the phones will have a 108 MP camera with 2.1 μm large pixels, just like the Redmi Note 10 Pro/Pro Max. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 series camera details The size of a single pixel is just marketing talk - in reality, the pixels are 0.7 μm, but thanks to the 9-to-1 pixel binning technology, they will be grouped into a single 2.1 μm pixel to receive more light and provide a better image in certain scenarios. The default resolution of the...

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Sony Xperia PRO-I hands-on review

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Sony Xperia PRO-I brings 1.0-inch sensor and variable f/2.0-4.0 aperture

Out of the blue, Sony has a new Xperia Pro phone. The Xperia Pro-I (where 'I' stands for 'Imaging') is the first phone outside Japan to deliver a 1.0-inch camera sensor with phase-detect autofocus. That 1.0-inch type imager is taken straight off the company's very popular RX100 VII compact camera, but it has been 'optimized for a smartphone'. What that means is that the Xperia Pro-I uses a big chunk of that sensor (but not all of it) to produce 12MP images with a 2.4µm pixel pitch - that's some 20% larger than the iPhone 13 Pro Max' pixels and about the same size as those from the...

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Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is already receiving the November security update

For a while now, Samsung's been doing this thing where it sometimes releases a security patch before even Google gets round to it. It's usually at the very end of a month when a specific Samsung device might get next month's security update, but the distance keeps growing. Case in point: a few hours ago, when it was still October 25, the company has started rolling out the November security patch to Galaxy S21 Ultra units purchased in Germany. This is a new record, releasing such an update six days before the actual "security patch level" you'll have once you apply it - that will be...

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Apple releases macOS Monterey for Apple silicon and Intel-based Macs

Apple today is releasing macOS 12 Monterey to compatible Macs running Apple silicon or Intel processors. The new version is a free upgrade to anyone with a compatible machine. macOS Monterey brings with it a host of new features and improvements. The first is SharePlay, which also went live today on iOS and iPadOS. This allows users to listen to music, watch movies or TV shows, and more together over a FaceTime call. FaceTime calls also get spatial audio, so the speaker's voice comes from the direction they are on the screen. Other FaceTime improvements include Voice...

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HomePod 15.1 update brings lossless and spatial audio support

Apple today is also rolling out HomePod Software Version 15.1, which brings with it the much requested lossless audio support for Apple Music and also spatial audio. The update enables lossless audio support for Apple Music on both the HomePod and the HomePod mini. This means your HomePod will now play the lossless ALAC encoded stream when playing Apple Music instead of the lossy AAC encoded version. You will need to enable the option through the settings and also make sure you have the individual or family plan, not the new voice plan. The update also brings spatial audio with...

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Apple releases iOS 15.1 with SharePlay support

Apple today is rolling out iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1 to compatible devices. The major change in this update is the inclusion of SharePlay, one of the headlining features of iOS 15. With SharePlay, users will be able to listen to songs, watch a movie or a TV show, complete a workout together, or share their screen to view apps with their friends or family members while on a FaceTime call. SharePlay is currently supported by Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Fitness+, as well as Disney+, ESPN+, HBO Max, Hulu, MasterClass, Paramount+, Pluto TV, SoundCloud, TikTok, Twitch and will be coming...

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Watch the new Sony Xperia flagship debut live

Sony unexpectedly scheduled a smartphone event in the early hours of tomorrow, where it will unveil its new flagship. We have no clue what the name will be, but we expect to see “a camera with a phone attached”, as the company put it. The unveiling will be broadcast live, and we have embedded the stream below. The YouTube link has a 46-second teaser which will be replaced with a live video once the event begins at 12 noon JST/4 AM BST, or 11 PM EDT/8 PM PDT (October 25 in the United States). Once the event is done swing by our homepage for the full details on what Sony had to show.

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HTC True Wireless Earbuds Plus offer ANC and IPX5 rating

HTC isn’t confined to making VR headsets and a few phones each year. If you needed proof, the company’s True Wireless Earbuds Plus are now official as HTC’s latest TWS earphones. They bring an in-ear design with rubber tips and short stems and a charging case that extends the buds' battery life up to 86 hours of listening. HTC True Wireless Earbuds Plus (images: HTC) The HTC TWS Plus alone will last you 4.5 hours with ANC and an hour more without noise canceling. They are IPX5 rated for water and sweat resistance and come in black and white colors. They are priced £69 in the...

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Xiaomi 12 to have high screen-to-body ratio and smaller punch-hole in display

A new report coming from Weibo's famous tipster, Digital Chat Station, gives us an idea of what the design of the upcoming Xiaomi 12 will look like. The key takeaway is that the phone will offer high screen-to-body ratio. Sure, the flagships from the past couple of years by definition have high screen-to-body ratios, but the chin has remained somewhat thicker than the rest of the bezels. Only a few handsets in existence have symmetrically slim bezels all-around. The Xiaomi 12 will likely feature a smaller chin, matching the sides and that will bump up the ratio even higher than its...

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra to come in a green color too

The Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup leaked several times over the last couple of months. The details available surrounding Samsung's flagship family are now becoming more specific and we are now down to color variants. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, for example, is rumored to come in so-called Dark Red color in addition to the standard Black and White models. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 Phantom Green Now a new leak from GalaxyClub claims that Samsung is readying a green-colored option as well. The report doesn't mention the name of the color nor does it try to depict it. It will likely be similar to the...

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Early Pixel 6 benchmarks put CPU performance below Snapdragon 888, Exynos 2100

Google’s first ever mobile chipset, Tensor, is at the heart of the new Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. The chip comes from Samsung’s 5nm foundries and features an unusual CPU configuration with two Cortex-X1 cores, two Cortex-A76 (from 2018!) and four A55s. The X1 core was pretty popular this year, it was the prime core in the Snapdragon 888 and Exynos 2100 (both fabbed on Samsung’s 5nm node), and we already know how it performs. So early Geekbench single-core results are not much of a surprise (note that Geekbench reports that the X1 cluster ran at only 2.8 GHz, even though we often see it at 2.9...

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Xiaomi Redmi Smart Band Pro coming on October 28, official renders leak

Xiaomi is having a big launch party for its Redmi brand in China - the Redmi Note 11 smartphones and Redmi Watch 2 are scheduled to arrive on October 28. Today we learned a Redmi Smart Band Pro will also join the fun with a light rectangular body and rubber strap. Xiaomi Redmi Smart Band Pro According to WinFuture, the new bracelet is expected to be a direct rival of the Huawei Watch Fit and Samsung Galaxy Fit wearables. It is also shaping to be a follow-up of the Redmi Smart Band that arrived last year and we even reviewed it. The new wristband is obviously going to be...

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Realme 9 Pro+ (RMX3393) registered in the IMEI database

In our interview with CEO Madhav Sheth the company leader told us that the Realme 9 series is set for a 2022 launch and talked about the difficulties and delays caused by the global chip shortage. The company is forging on, however, and it already registered a phone with model number RMX3393 in the global IMEI database. According to leakster Mukul Sharma, this is the Realme 9 Pro+. Sheth held back hardware details for the new series, but unofficial sources have a few things to say. The Realme 8 Pro was powered by a Snapdragon 720G chipset, a far cry from the 870 According to recent...

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Oppo A56 5G renders appear

A new Oppo A-series phone is in the works as evident from official renders shared by 91mobiles. Oppo A56 5G is shown in its black, purple and blue color options revealing its key design features and we also get a preliminary spec sheet. Oppo A56 5G (image: 91mobiles) The phone features a 6.52 inch HD+ LCD with a waterdrop notch and an 8MP selfie cam. It’s powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 700 5G chipset alongside 4/6 GB RAM and 128GB storage. There’s a dual-camera setup around the back with a 13MP main shooter and a 2MP module for depth data. A56 5G also comes with a 5,000mAh...

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Jio is working with Google to create Pragati OS - a custom Android for the JioPhone Next

The JioPhone Next was supposed to arrive in September, but the chip shortage pushed the launch back to Diwali (early November). The carrier did offer some additional details about the upcoming super-affordable smartphone Early indications were that the phone will run Android Go Edition, however, Jio and Google worked together to create Pragati OS – an Android customization that is designed for the Indian market with many features aimed at specific issues (“pragati” means “progress”). “Translate Now” will help users cross the language barrier. They can talk into the phone in their...

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Motorola's Moto Watch 100 is going to be a premium-looking budget smartwatch

Motorola joined forces with eBuyNow and in an investor presentation, back in February, the two companies revealed a roadmap for smartwatch releases that would go under the Motorola branding. Now, in a press release, more specific plans for a smartwatch called Moto Watch 100 have been detailed. Moto Watch 100 The device is set to be mass-produced in November, it will fit in the entry-level segment but it's also supposed to have a premium feel, as per the press release. There are a couple of slides that give us a sneak peek of the design along with some features. Interestingly...

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Samsung releases another One UI 4 Beta for Galaxy S21

Samsung launched its beta program for Galaxy S21 One UI 4 based on Android 12 earlier this month and is already releasing a third OTA update fixing several issues. The update is about 975MB big and it's already being distributed to Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra units. Screenshot from the changelog The changelog is rather long but it focuses on ironing out some problems. For instance, the voice command recognition in the default camera app has been improved, Bixby now works from a locked screen, the phone won't randomly restart after changing the system's theme and also fixed the...

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Redmi Watch 2 price leaks ahead of launch

Redmi is hosting a launch event later this week on October 28 where we’ll see the debut of the Redmi Note 11 series as well as the Redmi Watch 2. While we wait for the event, the smart wearable has appeared in a listing on Chinese online retailer JD.com revealing it will cost CNY 399 which roughly translates to $62.51. This is a bit steeper than the first-gen Redmi Watch which launched at CNY 299 ($45). Redmi Watch 2 price leaks (image: Weibo) Keep in mind that this price is yet to be confirmed officially so we’ll have to wait until after Thursday’s event. Redmi Watch 2 is...

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 series confirmed to bring 120W charging

Xiaomi is bringing Redmi Note 11 phones on Thursday, October 28, and today the company confirmed another intriguing feature of the lineup. According to its official Weibo page, the Redmi Note 11 series will feature 120W fast charging, a first for the midrange lineup. The confirmation comes two weeks after the noted tipster Digital Chat Station revealed the very same thing. Such charging speeds will be a massive improvement over the Note 10 series that have 67W rates in China, and 33W on the global scene. We are pretty confident the 120W will hit overseas devices as well after the...

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