Chinese Tech

Xiaomi is adopting a new policy for the delivery of beta MIUI ROMs. Henceforth, devices that are more than a year older will be gradually withdrawn from participating in the beta program. Entry-level Redmi devices are also exempted from enrolling for MIUI beta. That being said, this does not affect the eligibility of the aforementioned devices from getting stable MIUI updates.

Redmi released a ~US$160 5.99-inch device with the Snapdragon 625 SoC and dual rear cameras in 2018. It is known as the S2 in China and as the Y2 in India. Of these, the S2 has started to exhibit an update to Android 9.0 (Pie).

OnePlus is moving quickly to fix the ghost touch issue that has been affecting some 7 Pro smartphones, less than a week after acknowledging its existence. Thankfully for owners, it does not appear to be a hardware issue.
Update: OnePlus claims that OxygenOS 9.5.7 fixes ghost touch issues.

Huawei’s current issues in regard to the US Department of Commerce adding the Chinese technology company to its entity list under the Export Administration Regulations have been well documented. However, while many reports have focused on Huawei’s smartphone and tablet business, there is a rumor that it could be the company’s laptop division that becomes the first victim of the current business restrictions.

The OEM Vivo has posted a video on Weibo, which portrays a project in which an iQOO phone was loaded onto an industrial-grade balloon. These hydrogen-filled craft are used with increasing frequency to visit extreme, near-space altitudes. In this case, the phone was also allegedly still operational after being ejected from a height of about 101,706 feet.

New renders allegedly generated by the OEM OPPO show a device that is capable of both folding and hiding its camera unit via a pop-up module. It is also now claimed that the same camera could have the 10X zoom found in the flagship Reno phone. However, the 'concept' nature of this leak invites some skepticism.

Huawei's Nova series is positioned behind the P and Mate lines in the company's hierarchy. The next device in the series, the Nova 5, is on its way, and a new leak has given a clear image of what to expect. Notables include a Kirin 980, three rear cameras, and an in-display fingerprint reader.

GearBest has launched a promotion that brings its price for the Xiaomi Mi 9 from US$516.87 down to $377.99. However, using a coupon listed on a different page cuts this discounted price again, to $359.99. On the other hand, the listing is for the phone's base model, a 6GB/64GB SKU.

Motorola is now rolling out its Pie update to users of the Moto Z3 Play, including those located in the US. In addition, some Moto Z2 Force owners have reported an OTA for the same upgrade. These devices are now 1 and 2 years old respectively.

A "global" new outlet has tweeted that HongMeng OS, Huawei's new rumored official ROM for its mobile devices, will be known as Oak OS in non-Chinese markets. Furthermore, this putative new system will be unveiled in the first fall months of 2019. Therefore, this OEM's phones could have as little as 2 more months on Android.

The OPPO Reno, Reno 10X Zoom and Reno 5G are already on sale in some European countries. Now, they are allegedly to be joined by the Reno Z (which has been heard of in other regions) and the Reno F (which has not). It is possible the latter is a rebranded F11 variant.

The Geekbench listing for the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro shows that this phablet has the same hardware specs as the existing Redmi K20 Pro. The 6.39-inch flagship for budget-conscious customers will be unveiled on June 12 alongside the Mi 9T, which is probably nothing else than a rebranded Redmi K20.

ZTE has recently filed a new patent for a smartphone design sporting two punch holes. This isn't a pill like the S10's either; it's literally two different holes that will house separate selfie cameras.

Huawei has released its latest mid-range phone, the Huawei Maimang 8. The Maimang phones are usually rebranded as the Mate Lite offerings, but the Maimang 8 appears to be a deviation from that trend.

Huawei has released figures indicating that approximately 80 million smartphone users woridwide have the latest version of its Android skin, EMUI, on their phones. For many older devices, this is their 2nd major update. However, the OEM also estimates that this number will grow to as much as 100 million by the end of June 2019.

A new leak suggests that the Moto E line of smartphones may be getting a new generation soon. Geekbench has allegedly added scores for a "motorola moto e(6) plus", running on an SoC that may be the Helio P22. It runs on Android 9 and has 2GB of RAM.

The Huawei Mate flagships have traditionally been released around October but new developments could mean that the company launches the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro quite a bit earlier than is expected.

As 2019 sees the more widespread adoption of OLED panels in notebooks and other portable technology, reports from Digitimes suggests that some LED-panel manufacturers in China may be in trouble.

A new teaser confirms that Xiaomi will officially launch the Mi Band 4, its upcoming fitness band, on June 11. The successor to the popular Mi Band 3 will have a larger battery than its predecessor along with a larger, and OLED, display. The Mi Band 4 is expected to be considerably more expensive than the Mi Band 3 too.

Lenovo released the Z6 Youth on May 22, 2019 to the Chinese market. As a Snapdragon 710 device with triple rear cameras and a 6.3-inch FHD screen, it may make a solid mid-ranger. A phone roughtly matching this description has been spotted with Thai marketing approval - however, it went under another name in this certification.

A new device called the OPPO CPH1925 (or A1s) has popped up on the websites of Russian, Thai and Indonesian regulatory bodies. Like the A1k before it, it has a 2.0GHz MediaTek processor, a 4000mAh battery and a 6.1 inch waterdrop-notch screen. However, this model improves on its pre-existing sibliing with a dual rear camera.

OnePlus have traditionally been the holders of the "flagship killer" title, although most would claim they lost the rights to it with the continuous hikes in prices. The Redmi K20 Pro is, without a doubt, the new flagship killer on these streets, though, and Redmi is happy to let OnePlus know as much in a new ad campaign.

A brief video clip of a seemingly modified Xiaomi Mi 9 smartphone with an under-display camera has been shared online. The video shows two Mi 9 devices being compared with one another. It soon becomes apparent that the smartphone on the left-hand side isn’t quite the same as the current Xiaomi Mi 9 we know and love.

A patent filed by Xiaomi for a full-screen smartphone utilizing an under-display camera has been unearthed. The patent application was made with the State Intellectual Property Office of China in November 2018, and it briefly describes Xiaomi’s solution for the feature, which appears to involve the smartphone using two screens.

Actual real-life pictures of Xiaomi’s Mi Band 4 fitness wearable have been leaked. The images show that the display part of the Mi Band 4 is very similar to the renders that were leaked last month. The Mi Band 4 gets a considerable upgrade over its predecessor by sporting a color display instead of a monochrome OLED.

Embattled Chinese smartphone maker Huawei’s woes are no longer academic it seems. According to the South China Morning Post, Huawei smartphone assembler Foxconn has shut down several production lines that were making Huawei’s market leading smartphones.

According to a new Nikkei Asian Review article, Huawei has finalized the blueprints for its next upcoming smartphone SoCs. However, the OEM has now lost the support of the chipset-design supplier Synopsys, as it has that of ARM. Therefore, it will find making follow-ups in 2021 and onward exceptionally difficult.

Motorola launched the Moto Z4 a few days ago and has now confirmed that it has no plans of releasing any other Moto Z devices this year. This is bad news, as it could mean that the company has given up on releasing flagship phones.

The Motorola One Vision was released not long ago. However, a new leak suggests that its series is getting yet another new phone sometime soon. Should a Geekbench entry prove accurate, it will be called the One Action.

A new online listing has revealed that One-Netbook is bringing a third version of the One Mix 3 to market this summer. The pricier model will feature a more powerful processor and a higher clocked GPU. It appears that the One Mix 3s will not come with the CPU that we previously thought it would though.

Following the ban by the US on Huawei, the Chinese company lost a number of its certifications, leaving it unable to use technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and SD cards on its future device. The company has now been reinstated by the relevant bodies, however, and is now also back on the official Android Q Beta page.

Motorola has released a new addition to its Z line of smartphones soon. The Moto Z4 has a 5G Moto Mod and a larger 6.39-inch FHD OLED screen. It is available on Verizon in conjunction with plans starting at US$10 per month.

Have you noticed ghost or phantom touch issues on your OnePlus 7 Pro? Well, the company has recognised it as an issue, and has issued a functionality limiting workaround for the time being.

Meizu has launched its new mid-ranger, the 16Xs, today (May 30, 2019). However, it had already released all details on the phone via its own website. The 16Xs rocks triple cameras, a 6.2-inch AMOLED screen and 6GB of RAM.

The Redmi K20 and K20 Pro have only recently emerged to try and conquer the market in China. The higher-end model was launched with 6 and 8GB RAM SKUs. However, an alleged update to the former's TENAA listing indicates that a 12GB model may be added to this list soon.

Huawei currently has until August to figure out a replacement for Google's Android OS, provided the U.S. and China do not reach any trade agreements that negate the Huawei ban. This prompted Huawei to immediately ramp up efforts towards releasing a proprietary OS, which appears to be named ARK, according to a recent EUIPO patent filing.

Yesterday, Xiaomi's high-value sub-brand, Redmi, unveiled its first notebook. The RedmiBook 14 is a 14-inch notebook that offers a fine package for those looking for a sleek, well-designed laptop with excellent specifications and great bang for the buck.

Redmi, yesterday, unveiled its two newest premium phones, the K20 and K20 Pro, reminding the world once more that flagships don't have to cost a million bucks. Here's all you need to know about the duo, including the subtle differences between them.

Chuwi has announced the pricing of its upcoming MiniBook on Twitter, and it is lower than expected. Two versions of the 8.0-inch convertible mini laptop will arrive at launch, which will be available to order on Indiegogo from June 19.

Redmi has announced that its first notebook, most likely to be a 14-inch thin & light model, will be released tomorrow (May 28, 2019). This event will also see the launch of the K20 series of smartphones. The larger device is thought to offer an IPS FHD display with up to 8GB of RAM.

Huawei’s recent ban by the US government is certain to have caused unrest in the hearts of users of the company’s phones. Rivals Samsung are cashing in with style, though, as the South Korean company is now heavily advertising premium trade-in values for Huawei devices.

While the world of tech still battles with the shocking news of Huawei being hit with a trade ban by the US, the company will likely be a tad annoyed by an incident that saw a Mate 20 Pro go up in flames at a theatre a few days ago.

Lenovo and Qualcomm have announced 'Project Limitless', a collaborative effort to build 'Always On, Always Connected PCs' based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx 5G Compute Platform. Lenovo and Qualcomm demonstrated a near-final version of a laptop based on the Snapdragon 8cx that also bundles in the Snapdragon X55 5G modem. The first such notebooks are expected to be available sometime in early 2020.

The OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T were released three years ago, back in 2016. Both devices were launched running on Android Marshmallow but are now officially receiving the update to Android Pie. That means they have now received three major OS updates, which has to be a record in the Android space.

Xiaomi's high-value sub-brand, Redmi, is set to release its two flagship phones in the coming weeks: the Redmi K20 and K20 Pro. Details of the regular K20 have now surfaced, painting an image of an extremely attractive sub-premium device.

We were big fans of the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 when it was released a year ago, mostly because of its high performance to price ratio. Asus is keeping it alive for one more year, too, with users of the device around the globe currently receiving the much-anticipated Android Pie update.

The news for Huawei seems to be getting worse by the day, as if that was even possible. In the latest blow to the company, the SD Association has blocked the ability for Huawei to offer phones or devices featuring SD or microSD card slot.

The Vivo V15 and Y17 are MediaTek Helio SoC-powered devices. They have been on sale for Rs. 19,990 (US$288) and 17,990 ($259) respectively in India. These prices have been apparently reduced by Rs. 2000 ($29).

The Redmi K20 is available to order from today (May 24, 2019) after a manner of speaking. Those who wish to pre-order the new flagship phone need to pay a deposit of 100 yuan (about US$14.50) on Mi.com or JD.com. They can then pay the balance on May 28.

OxygenOS 9.0.2 comes to the OnePlus 3 and 3T with the April 2019 security patch from Google, a brand-new user interface, Google Duo support in the Dialer, a new gaming mode (3.0, with notification for third party calls and displaying the text content of the heads-up notifications), Google Lens support, as well as various bug fixes and tweaks.