Chinese Tech

Huawei's latest flagship is the P30 Pro, a phone that has many advantages over its 2018 counterpart. It now appears that it also performed better in the JerryRigEverything bend test than the P20 Pro. On the other hand, it seems this premium device has potential deficiencies in other areas.

We may think we know when the next OnePlus flagship will be officially unveiled. However, the company's chief executive officer (CEO) has stated that the applicable rumors will be confirmed or denied on April 23, 2019. Judging by the typical product cycle associated with this company, the event itself is likely to follow in about a month from then.

Images of the components for the upcoming GPD Win Max handheld gaming PC have been leaked. The pictures show that an embedded chip from AMD’s Ryzen V1000 series has been chosen to power the device. It also seems that GamePad Digital (GPD) has decided to change the device’s name from Win 2 Max to simply Win Max.

The pop-up selfie camera is an increasingly common alternative to the display notch in smartphones. A Chinese media outlet claims that Meizu has joined the list of OEMs who are at least planning such devices. This version may rise from a central position in the top of a given chassis.

Rumors claimed the Huawei P30 phones would feature OLED displays made by Samsung. Information disproving that idea has surfaced, though, and it looks like the P30 Pro actually opts for LG-made panels, with some units sporting BOE-made ones, just like the Mate 20 Pro did.

A new report has stated that Xiaomi is developing two new flagship smartphones that will feature Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoCs and pop-up cameras. The rumored devices apparently have the codenames “davinci” and “raphael”. Unfortunately, no other hardware information or specifications are currently known.

Honor's latest phone, the 20i, has been launched in China. This phone has a 32MP front-facing camera in its U-shaped notch. In addition, the new phone has a 6.21-inch IPS-LCD full-HD screen, triple rear cameras and the Kirin 710 processor. Its prices start at 1,599 RMB (about US$238) for a 4GB SKU.

OnePlus' chief executive, Pete Lau, posted a tweet with more details on a "new device", as promised. It mainly consisted of what could be a new tagline for 2019, in addition to a short video showing a device that could have curved sides and nothing along its top edge. This, then, may be the rumored 7 Pro.

A new leak has shown the upcoming Honor 20 Pro's rear camera setup and it looks like it will feature the same 5x optical zoom that debuted on the Huawei P30 Pro. Of course, the real win here is the fact that it will also be much cheaper than the US$1000 Huawei flagship.

The Lenovo Z6 Pro smartphone is expected to be officially unveiled to the world on April 23, and it is already making some impressive headlines. The flagship device will come with a quad camera setup on its rear and feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855. Apparently, its high-end hardware helped it post an incredible score on the AnTuTu benchmark.

An image of the retail box for the Huawei Mate 20X 5G phablet has been leaked online. The most recent Mate series originally consisted of the Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, and the Mate 20X. It was announced at MWC19 that the latter device would get a 5G variant, which will apparently come with some important changes.

The latest leaked specs present the Vivo Y17 as a lower-end mid-range model powered by the new MediaTek Helio P35 Soc coupled with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB storage. It also comes with a big 6.35-inch IPS screen that has 1154 x 720 resolution and a teardrop notch with a 20 MP selfie cam. It does get a triple-cam setup on the back, but the MP count is modest, and it features a very generous 5,000 mAh battery, as well.

A new version of OxygenOS for the OnePlus 3 and 3T is finally here. However, there are a few slight caveats: it is still in beta (albeit an official Community Beta), and thus may still have some bugs. On the other hand, it has an up-to-date security patch - and is based on Android Pie (9.0).

Alleged details of the OnePlus 7 Pro smartphone have been posted online. The incredible specifications claim that the OnePlus 7 Pro will have a QHD+ Super AMOLED display, 4,000 mAh battery, a pop-up selfie camera, dual speakers and more. The leak also mentions that the display will operate at a variable 90 Hz refresh rate for a smoother viewing experience than conventional 60 Hz panels offer.

Flickering be gone! Xiaomi has replaced PWM with DC brightness for the Mi 9 with latest MIUI Beta update. DC brightness does not cause OLED panels to flicker like PWM does, which can cause eye strain and headaches for those who are PWM sensitive.

Meizu software engineers are hard at work tweaking on the latest Flyme 7 Android-based OS in order to push the upcoming Meizu 16s performance to its limits. The latest batch of benchmark results revealed by Meizu system engineer Hong Hansheng are all above 370,000 points, and it looks like there is still room for improvement.

One-Notebook's unique pocket-size convertible lineup is getting updated with the OneMix 2S Platinum edition, which pack a faster Intel Core i7-8500Y CPU coupled with 8 GB of DDR3 RAM and 512 GB of NVMe SSD storage. The new device has a QWERTY keyboard with fingerprint scanner for increased proficiency, plus a rotating touchscreen that allows users to switch to tablet mode.

Huawei recently held its own in-house Analyst Summit for 2019. During a Q&A at this event, its representatives reportedly confirmed that Apple has not responded to its proposal to sell it the 5G modems it needs for its iPhones. This offer had recently been made publicly, possibly to highlight the fact that one OEM can use next-gen radio bands and the other cannot.

The OnePlus 7 may launch alongside some new variants for 2019 sometime next month. However, if a new leak from PriceBaba is to be believed, it could easily be mistaken for its predecessor at its launch. This site claims that the 7 will have a teardrop-notched screen, a glass back and dual cameras - just like the 6T.

The OPPO F11 Pro that was launched last month is now ready for a special edition. The F11 Pro Marvel's Avengers Limited Edition will come out the same day as the new Avengers movie — on April 24. Unfortunately, it might only be available in a limited number of markets, starting with Malaysia.

The Honor 20's launch date has now been officially confirmed. Going by previously established information, there could be a Pro model. The devices are expected to share camera hardware with the Huawei P-series flagships and will deliver excellent camera performance.

The Nubia X is one of a very few phones with working displays on both sides. It also now has Android 9 (Pie), albeit in beta form. Its maker is releasing it in a form that requires installation via local upgrade.

A new listing on the Bluetooth Launch Studio website reveals that the Motorola Razr XT2000-1 will be available exclusively via Verizon Wireless in the US. However, its availability in other markets remains a mystery for the time being — just like the specs, which are rumored to include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor and a 6.2-inch main display.

Apple and Huawei are some of a handful of smartphone OEMs that develop in-house chipsets. Their upcoming 2019 generations - the A13 Bionic and Kirin 985 CPUs respectively - are now said to be nearly ready for production in earnest soon. They are both 7nm and are being fabricated by the same chipmaker: TSMC.

Although Huawei still has troubles in the US, the new Huawei P30 and P30 Pro can be pre-ordered stateside thanks to B&H. The models available are the P30 Pro with 256 GB and the 128 GB P30, both unlocked — compatible with T-Mobile's and AT&T's GSM networks, but not with Verizon's CDMA network — and feature dual-SIM capabilities.

An unknown Xiaomi smartphone, which could possibly be the rumored forthcoming Redmi flagship device, has been accidentally leaked on a Chinese network site. Xiaomi’s product director, Wang Teng Thomas, posted what seems to be an innocuous picture of some bottles neatly lined up. But there’s a mysterious smartphone on the table behind them that was apparently overlooked.

With the release of the P30 and P30 Pro, the Mate 20 series is now the second-latest generation of Huawei flagships. However, it appears the OEM is still maintaining an update schedule for these devices. It has announced a new beta program for EMUI 9.1 (based on Android 9) for these phones.

Xiaomi's Black Shark 2 is a powerful gaming phone that can be spec'd out to as much as 12GB in RAM. However, it does have one drawback: no 3.5mm jack. However, a brand spokesperson has indicated that this discrepancy will be rectified in its successor.

Some renders and the specifications of the Honor 8S smartphone have been leaked online. This entry-level device apparently will be powered by a MediaTek Helio A22 processor and will likely feature 2 GB RAM, although there may be a regional variant with 3 GB. The Honor 8S has a selfie camera in a waterdrop notch but still comes with thick bezels.

The Xiaomi Mi A1 was released back in 2017 and has received the two major updates it was promised. According to a new report, though, the device could get a third OS update that will see it enjoy Android Q and all the features it brings when it's released later in the year.

Lenovo is holding a Tax Time Sale this weekend for those hunting for a great deal on a laptop or convertible. The Chinese manufacturer has laptops from its flagship lines on offer, and there are savings to be had on a variety of tablets, monitors, and other peripherals and accessories. The current sale ends on April 15.

Huawei launched sales of the P30 and P30 Pro in China yesterday (April 11, 2019). It now asserts that it took only 10 seconds for it to run out of stock of the new flagships during this event. The OEM reportedly earned 200 million yuan (about US$29.8 million) in this process.

Any direct successor for the R17 is dead; long live Reno. This is the main message of an interview given by OPPO's CEO, Shen Yiren, that took place after the launch of the latter earlier this week. Accordingly, this new brand, in conjunction with the new Find Z, will pick up where the R-line left off.

The Snapdragon processors 665, 730 and 730G are Qualcomm's latest mid-range SoCs. The 730G is particularly interesting as it is a specifically gaming-focused chipset. AnTuTu was able to test these new products and compare them to their predecessors. The results are unexpected in parts.

Realme has confirmed that its next device, the Realme 3 Pro, will be launched on April 22. The Realme 3 Pro is expected to contend against the Redmi Note 7 Pro, and apparently has hardware powerful enough to run Fortnite at 60fps.

A revised Huawei Matebook E for 2019 has been on show in China, and it has revealed a surprising new component: A Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 SoC. The convertible computer comes with a 12-inch display and offers similar hardware specifications to 2018’s Matebook E, although that particular device was powered by a processor from Intel.

Alleged details of a Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 smartphone have been shared on Twitter. According to a screenshot that was apparently taken from the online payment platform Alipay, the Mi Mix 4 will be a foldable device that features a 60 MP camera. The series is known for its innovation: The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 smartphone has a slider form factor.

Qualcomm and Swisscom have announced the implementation of Europe's first commercial 5G service. These telecommunication and technology corporations had set up a partnership to deliver this next-generation mobile data standard in Switzerland. This will also now enable other firms who operate in the same country to offer 5G products and hardware.

AnTuTu has taken to Weibo to present the first benchmark score derived from the newly-released OPPO Reno line. It is associated with the '10X Zoom' variant, which has a Snapdragon 855 processor and 6GB of RAM. This alleged super-camera-phone has returned a result of 369254, which is just about what is expected of its flagship SoC.

The Huawei Y5 2019 will feature a 720p display with a teardrop-shaped notch along with a MediaTek MT6761 SoC and 2 GB RAM. The device comes from the same source that previously confirmed the likes of the Razer Phone 2.

Lenovo has confirmed that its next flagship phone, the Z6 Pro, will be launched in China on April 23. Much remains to be known about the device but it will feature a Snapdragon 855 and, perhaps, a massive 100 MP camera.

The first member of the Honor 20 lineup is scheduled to be launched on April 17. Huawei only teased the waterdrop notch with a 32 MP selfie cam, but, thanks to an early leak from VMall, we now get to see the mate 20i from almost every angle. Rumors have it that the Mate 20i is the China-exclusive version of the international Mate 20 Lite leaked a few days ago.

A live video showcasing what is said to be the upcoming Redmi flagship has surfaced. The device has been touted to be powered by a Snapdragon 855, and the video shows it sporting a triple rear camera setup, and a terribly distasteful camera punch-hole in its display.

The Oppo Reno has already been spotted online on several websites, but it looks like a high-end version is also in the cards. The Oppo Reno 10X Zoom features a 10x optical zoom sensor, which is clearly visible in a square camera assembly similar to what Oppo has revealed at MWC 2019.

A 2019 refresh of the 14-inch Honor MagicBook is going to be released on April 17, according to a Chinese retailer. The main difference between the upcoming version and the 2018 laptop is a processor upgrade: Last year’s AMD MagicBook variant came with a Ryzen 5 2500U, whereas the 2019 model will be fitted with a Ryzen 5 3500U APU.

Apple may be obliged to delay its adoption of 5G until 2020 at the earliest. This is due to its ongoing feud with Qualcomm, who, as it is claimed, will not sell the necessary hardware to the Cupertino company. More recently, Huawei has said it may sell its own modems to Apple.

Introduced to the world at the MWC trade show back in February, the Nubia Alpha "wearable phone" will go on sale tomorrow. This smart wearable is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 chipset and runs a custom Android build. Sadly, it looks like only China will get it this week and the rest of the world will have to wait.

The second iteration of the ROG Phone by Asus will come out in the third quarter of the year with the support of Chinese game publisher Tencent. Its specs are expected to include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, multiple memory/storage combinations, as well as a premium build that would integrate an advanced cooling solution.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) vice-president of research Maria Zuber has stated that the university will discontinue its new and existing partnerships with the OEMs ZTE and Huawei. This decision is reportedly connected to suspicions that the two companies have violated US sanctions.

Nokia's new punch-hole camera phone, the X71, has been launched in China today (April 8, 2019). This device is a variant of the 7 Plus, but with a triple rear camera set-up. It is available in 6/64GB or 6/128GB configurations.