Software

Xiaomi is now gracing owners of the Redmi Note 9 and Redmi Note 9S with MIUI 12.5 updates. For the Redmi Note 9, the new update is being rolled out to Indonesian models along with Android 11, while owners of the European ROM Redmi Note 9S get their first taste of MIUI 12.5.

Honor has launched its new Magic3, 3 Pro and 3 Pro+ top-end smartphones today (August 12, 2021). Their large central ring-style camera humps contain up to 5 lenses each, which also contain new 50MP sensors in some cases. The OEM claims they are capable of delivering cinema-grade videography as well as Snapdragon 888+ performance.

A long video showing extensive gameplay from Age of Empires IV has been leaked. The upcoming real-time strategy (RTS) title is the latest addition to the storied Age of Empires franchise and is being developed by Relic Entertainment. The closed beta testing phase for Age of Empires IV began on August 5.

Google has rolled out Android 12 Beta 4, following on from last month's Beta 3.1. The latest beta contains Google's final Android 12 APIs and 31 SDK, along with over two dozen bug fixes. Beta 4 only adds one feature to Android 12 though, and it is a fairly minor one.

Samsung wrapped its latest Galaxy Unpacked show up with the latest generation of its Galaxy Buds. They offer many of the features found in their immediate Pro predecessors, as well as up to 20 hours of battery life and new colors. However, they also start for less than these high-end TWS peripherals.

Samsung has launched its latest high-end wearables, the Galaxy Watch4 series, today (August 11, 2021). These new smartwatches incorporate the cutting-edge sensors for health metrics that include blood pressure and advanced sleep tracking as might be expected from the OEM. However, they have something new as well: body-composition sensing that apparently rivals industry-standard equipment.

The Galaxy Watch 3 may yet receive an upgrade to One UI Watch 3, Samsung's version of Wear OS 3. Samsung thinks so, at any rate, as it has stated as much in a new advert.

Xiaomi's MIUI skin gets some flak for poor performance, so the company is back with an incremental update aimed at improving overall system performance and fluidity. MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition will be released on August 13, and will hit twelve of the company's premium devices initially.

Huawei is slowly expanding HarmonyOS 2.0, having released the OS to over 65 devices so far. The company's latest update adds some interesting features, including a new multi-camera mode.

Parallels Desktop 17 is here, and it allows Windows 11 to be installed on Mac hardware. Windows 11 even runs on the Apple M1 chipset, and without removing macOS. Linux and Windows supposedly run up to 38% faster on the latest version of Parallels Desktop, too.

The Galaxy Z Fold3 has finally become official as the headline act of Samsung's latest Unpacked event. The ultra-premium device has premiered as the first one from this OEM with an under-display camera (UDC) for its main 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display. It also offers upgrades such as the Snapdragon 888 processor.

Huawei has hardly announced any smartphones in 2021, but that has not stopped it from delivering software updates. Now, the company states that it has delivered HarmonyOS 2.0 to over 65 Honor and Huawei devices in China, including the Mate 40 and Mate 30 series.

A well-known leaker claims to have found out that OnePlus is making a new, special-edition version of its first-gen Watch. Unlike the gaming theme of the last, this one is apparently Harry Potter-themed. Then again, availability in only 1 market has been mentioned thus far.

Xiaomi introduced a new Mi Mix, Mi Pad and Mi TVs during its August 2021 product event. However, the OEM also had something much less expected to unveil at the end of this show: an apparently fully-functional, well-spec'd robot dog. The company might even put this groundbreaking product on sale soon.

The new Mi Mix 4 dominated its product launch today (August 10, 2021); however, this did not stop its maker introducing new ecosystem products to go along with it. The new Xiaomi Sound is a speaker that shares an audio partnership and new wireless technology with its potential phablet companion.

Xiaomi has updated its line of smart TVs today (August 10, 2021) with new OLED-enabled models. This comes with an ultra-high contrast ratio, HDR10+ and "True 10-bit" color on the new 6-series. For those in need of even more premium specs, the new Mi TV OLED 77 model has Harman Kardon-tuned speakers, high-wattage speakers and a new spec in common with the Mi Mix 4.

More information about Xiaomi’s memory extension feature has been shared, including additional eligible devices and how much extra RAM can be accessed by specific phones. It appears the Redmi Note 8, POCO X3 GT, and Redmi 9T have joined the eligible device list, which will likely also feature the Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 very soon.

A third-party upscaling tool created by a Chinese developer allows any Windows game running at a lower resolution in windowed mode to upscale to native monitor resolution using an early implementation of AMD's FSR technology. Users have been reporting decent levels of upscaling and increased fps though at the cost of increased frametimes, latency, and CPU usage.

Honor is slated to launch its latest flagship smartphones later in August 2021. Now, a new leak purports to show one of these devices in the wild. The photo in question shows the ring-like camera hump seen in earlier spoilers, although this one has a new detail: a legend that might point to powerful zoom capabilities in the sensor immediately below it.

The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6, also known as the Mi Band 6, has recently received a useful feature thanks to the latest firmware update for the activity tracker. Users of the Mi Band 6 wearable will be able to use the smart band as a basic flashlight as long as version 5.3.0 of the Mi Fit app is also installed.

Microsoft has started rolling out its fourth Windows 11 Insider Preview Build, and the first for the Dev and Beta channels simultaneously. Build 22000.120 is light on new features, but it addresses countless bugs from Build 22000.100.

While Apple's iOS comes with the advantage of better official support, it pales in terms of customizability and system-level user control. Nothing better depicts that than a video showing Android 11 running on a ten-year-old device, the Samsung Galaxy S2.

Google might have something to debut alongside its new Pixel 6 series in October 2021: a new Chromecast. The Mountain View giant has had a new device certified by the FCC, in a leak that reveals specs most likely associated with a streaming stick of some description. Then again, it makes upgrades over the current Ultra device, if any, hard to pick out.

GoPro has announced that it has made no less than US$250 million in revenue for the second quarter of 2021 (or 2Q2021). The action-cam company has also reported it has amassed 211% more subscribers compared to 2Q2020. It has also made a net gain for this quarter, as opposed to the sizeable net loss posted for the same quarter of the last year.

New information indicates that Xiaomi is set to begin the Android 12 rollout in the near future. The company will start by sending out the update in its home market to the Mi 11, Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra, and Redmi K40 Pro Plus. Its Snapdragon 888-powered devices, essentially.

Realme has already launched the GT Master and GT Master Exploration Editions in China, as "designer" variants of its current 2021 flagship. Now, a new leak claims that the phones are also going to launch in Europe soon. They will apparently start in the ~US$400 category for SKUs with 6GB of RAM.

Apple released details on the controversial steps it will take to fight child abuse in the United States. Privacy advocates strongly criticized Apple's plans, even though other tech companies have been using similar technologies for many years.

After sending out the MIUI 12.5 update to the Redmi Note 10, Xiaomi is now doing the same for owners of the Redmi Note 9 and Redmi 9. New MIUI 12.5 updates are rolling out to the Global ROM models of those two phones, with July security patches in tow.

Lenovo is now slated to augment its Tab P-series tablet series with a new variant soon. This "P12 Pro" is painted as a device with a former flagship processor - which is a surprise as its predecessor has a mid-range SoC. It is also depicted as having more RAM and running Android 11.

Apple has announced that it has reduced prices in the App Store within the European Union for all apps and in-app purchases, but not for automatically renewed subscriptions. Comparable price reductions also apply in South Africa and the UK.

OPPO has just unveiled the latest generation of its under-display camera technology for smartphone screens. The OEM claims to have made great strides since the last time it showcased its developments in this trendy spec. They include a new pixel-matrix that help it blend effectively into the rest of a given panel.

Xiaomi has launched 2 new laptops for the Indian market, which it calls the RedmiBook 15 Pro and the e-Learning Edition of the same. Both of these machines have the same 19.9mm deep chassis with 15.6-inch FHD displays, finished in polycarbonate for mobility and affordability. However, the two variants have their own choices of 11th-gen Intel chipsets and SSDs.

Finally, Xiaomi is sending out the MIUI 12.5 update to its current cash cow, the Redmi Note 10. At the moment, the update is exclusive to Global ROM models of the mid-range phone, but is already in the stable stage, so will not take long to get to all owners of that model.

The test run with a few selected users is in full swing and raises hopes that the new affordable subscription will soon be made available to all customers. However, the exact price of Spotify's Plus tier is not yet carved in stone.

Rumors that Xiaomi would release MIUI 13 this month have now been soundly disproven, with CEO Lei Jun announcing, a few hours ago, that the company will release MIUI 13 at the end of the year. The Mi 12 will likely be the first device to launch with that iteration of Xiaomi's skin, while the Mi 11 series can be expected to get updates first.

An Intel executive has reportedly uploaded a photo of a slide pointing to very interesting developments in data transfers over USB type-C by accident. The material allegedly points to speeds of up to 80 gigabits per second (Gb/s), which will, furthermore, be supported by physical-layer technology.

The TONE FREE DFP8Ws (or FP8s) are the latest generation of LG TWS earbuds that come with their own UV-emitting charging case for an "auto-cleaning" feature. The OEM has announced pricing and availability for these allegedly bacteria-repelling accessories in the US. They will also soon be joined there by new FP9 and FP5 variants.

As part of the company's efforts to keep Android users safe, Google has decided to no longer allow sign-in on services like Gmail, Maps, or YouTube for devices still stuck with versions up to 2.3.7 of its mobile operating system. Fortunately, devices on Android 3.0 and later will remain on the safe side.

Shortly after the release of MIUI 12.5.1, Xiaomi is now rolling out the version 12.5.3 software update to Mi 10T Pro handsets. In addition to the security patch dated June 2021, this new firmware refresh also promises to provide "increased system security" but, unfortunately, the official changelog stops here.

AMOLED and UIs with dark modes have skyrocketed in popularity in the smartphone market over the years, mainly based on the idea that both are easier on battery life, particularly when combined. A new study published by Purdue University engineers question this rationale, albeit under certain conditions only.

It has been reported that MIUI 13’s release has been delayed. Apparently, Xiaomi’s Android overlay requires additional polishing, meaning the Mi Mix 4 and Mi Pad 5 will likely launch with MIUI 12.5 as OS. Meanwhile, more POCO and Redmi devices have purportedly joined the internal Android 12 beta testing phase.

Microsoft's Program Manager Aria Carley has confirmed that it would not be possible to bypass Windows 11's TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot requirements once the OS launches some time in October. Insider builds can currently be installed on a wider range of Intel and AMD CPUs, but the OS will support only Intel 8th gen and above and AMD Ryzen 2000 and above consumer processors at launch with no way to bypass these enforcements.

LineageOS 18.1 has been made available for owners of Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy S10 family of devices. The stock Android-like custom ROM will, however, only work with the Exynos variants of these devices at this stage, however.

Motorola has unveiled the Edge 20 series' specs and design in full on its website. They are headed by the Snapdragon 870-powered Pro variant, which also features a 144Hz screen, 12GB of RAM and a 108MP main camera sensor. Then again, the 20 and 20 Lite also benefit from this sensor, albeit with varying levels of zoom and additional features.

Targus has announced a new accessory to connect an Android phone with USB type-C to the peripherals necessary for a desktop-like experience. The OEM has also announced that the Universal USB-C Phone Dock supports Samsung's DeX. Users could have this interface up on a potentially 4K monitor with this new product.

Kioxia has introduced new EXCERIA-line M.2 2280 SSDs for desktops or laptops. The OEM asserts that the new PRO variant is for enthusiasts, whereas the G2 is more for the mainstream, mainly as they support PCIe Gen 4 and Gen 3 respectively. The 2 new drives also feature the proprietary "BiCS" flash memory and up to 2TB capacities.

Only available for desktop users for now, Vivaldi 4.1 brings a new way of managing open web pages, namely accordion tabs, as well as command chains. Now, opening a few websites and tiling can be done in a single operation, but more than 200 browser commands are available to use in multiple actions.

The POCO M3 Pro 5G smartphone has been added to the list of eligible devices that owners can use if they want to sign up to POCO’s recruitment drive for MIUI Global stable ROM testing. The M3 Pro 5G joins smartphones such as the POCO X3 and POCO F3 that can be used for testing. Applicants have to be 18 years of age or older.

ZTE is scheduled to launch its new under-display camera phone, the Axon 30, on July 27, 2021. Now, the OEM has also just announced that 2 new pairs of TWS earbuds will join it on stage. The LiveBuds Pro sport the mics necessary for noise-reducing features, whereas the ZTE Buds might be more cost-effective.