Wearable

Huawei has lost access to new mobile processors as normal, thanks to the mandatory end of partnerships with crucial suppliers such as TSMC. Now, the CEO of its consumer-facing unit, Yu Chendong, has acknowledged that the company will soon see its last shipments of these vital components in 2020. He has admitted this is "a very big loss" for the company.

Samsung's latest smartwatch reportedly already has a firmware update. The new download confers blood-oxygen measurements as well as the ability to track maximal oxygen uptake (or VO2Max). Therefore, the wearable may be better equipped to help the user get an idea of important aspects of their health and fitness.

An apparent image of the upcoming Huami Amazfit Neo smartwatch has been leaked, revealing a design language that is not entirely dissimilar to that of the rugged Amazfit Ares smartwatch. No specifications for the Amazfit Neo have been unearthed yet, but it should appeal to those after a sportier-looking smart wearable.

Code relating to second-generation Amazfit smartwatches from Huami has been discovered along with a small detail about a potentially new product. Codenames for the devices were found in code for the Zepp 4.8.9 app and appear to relate to successors of the well-received Huami Amazfit GTS and Huami Amazfit GTR.

The Creative SXFI AIR is a US$140 pair of over-ear headphones that packs plenty of features. With a Super X-Fi DSP, Bluetooth, line-in, USB Type-C and a microSD card reader, you are spoilt for choice with the SXFI AIR. Average battery life and underwhelming drivers hold the SXFI AIR back, though.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 was marketed as a device that would be capable of generating electrocardiograms (ECGs) for advanced health-tracking purposes. Now - almost exactly one year after its launch - the OEM has activated this function. However, it still only works for units sold in their own home market.

The Ovisen S201 is reminiscent of many cheap smartwatches, but it has a trick up its sleeve. Unusually, Ovisen has integrated a pair of wireless earbuds that charge from within the body of the smartwatch.

Following its August 5 Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung has now posted several new videos of its launch devices. Each offers a deeper dive into the Galaxy Note 20, Note 20 Ultra, Galaxy Buds Live and the Galaxy Watch 3. We can expect something similar for the Galaxy Z Fold 2 when Samsung reveals more details about that device at another event on September 2.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch series officially has a new generation. This 2020 variant retains the moving bezel that was so popular the first time around. However, its build and footprint has been updated, as have its health-tracking features.

Samsung has long been rumored to launch its new generation of Galaxy Buds in a completely new form-factor. This has finally been proven true at the OEM's latest product launch. The Buds Live are indeed also the first of their line to feature active noise cancellation (ANC).

Hands-on videos of all the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy devices for its latest Unpacked showcase have leaked ahead of the launch. TechTalkTV combined them into a single video that combines the leaked clips and shows the devices being put through their paces.

Aipower's Wearbuds were unique on their launch in that they combine a fitness tracker and TWS earbuds in one product. Now, their second generation has finally come to the market via a crowdfunding platform. The OEM claims this new Pro variant improves on the original in terms of functions, battery life and finish.

Samsung is expected to launch a fitness tracker alongside a number of other products at its impending Galaxy Unpacked event. A new leak appears to set its status as a second-gen Galaxy Fit series in stone. It may be the first reported listing for the device that uses a corresponding product name.

Xiaomi has announced a special event coming up soon, and a tip from a noted leaker has suggested that the popular Chinese OEM will use the moment as an opportunity to reveal some new smartphones. The Xiaomi Mi Pro+ (Super Cup) is a likely candidate, and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2020 has also been put forward for a potential reveal.

Xiaomi's Mi-series of truly wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds is a rapidly-growing line of accessories. However, none of them have featured active noise cancellation (ANC) before. A new addition to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) strongly suggests this is about to change.

A promo video for the upcoming Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless noise-cancelling headphones has been leaked online, and it reveals quite a few details about the successor to the well-received WH-1000XM3 headphones. Users will be treated to features such as wear detection, Speak-to-Chat mode, DSEE Extreme, and location-based favorite presets.

The PowerBuds are sports-themed TWS earbuds from Huami's brand Amazfit. They are unique in that they have a sensor for heart-rate tracking, a feature normally reserved for smartwatches. Their OEM has finally announced that they will launch on Amazon India in August 2020.

Earlier reports have pointed to a new health-tracking spec for the Apple Watch 5's successor: blood oxygen tracking. A new tip may give this idea further weight. It also backs up other claims of sleep-tracking and even more advanced cardiovascular monitoring in the upcoming wearable.

Nubia has just introduced the late-2020 refresh of its RedMagic 5G gaming smartphone. However, it also debuted a successor to the interesting Alpha flexible-display wearable alongside it. This product, simply called the Watch, has a similar form-factor but may be more durable and user-friendly this time around.

Huawei and Porsche Design appear to be working together again, but this time on smartwatches. Huawei is already working on a Mate Watch, a Watch GT 2 Pro and an Honor GS Pro, but two Porsche Design smartwatches are on the horizon too. Called the Watch RS and Watch GTRS, the two Porsche Design-branded devices may arrive as early as October.

The Huami Amazfit Band 6 has been confirmed thanks to a combination of some code digging and the fitness tracker appearing in all its glory on a retailer site. The Amazfit Band 6 comes with Amazon Alexa, blood oxygen monitoring, heart-rate tracker, menstrual cycle tracker, and stress detection. The “York” codename was previously thought to belong to a global version of the Xiaomi Mi Band 5.

Images and specs for the Redmi K30 Ultra have been shared online, with the upcoming device featuring a MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chip and up to 12 GB RAM. Apparently, Redmi will also be launching its first smartwatch soon, possibly in August, with some speculating that it will simply be a scaled-down version of the Xiaomi Mi Watch.

Razer's latest gaming headset is the BlackShark V2. Its 50 millimeter (mm) drivers feature the OEM's TriForce Titanium coating, as well as its SpeedFlex cable. It features THX Spatial Audio for an immersive experience and a removable cardioid mic with a USB sound card.

The EEC has confirmed that Huawei is working on two new smartwatches. One is called the Watch GT 2 Pro, making it a good candidate as the successor to the Watch GT 2. The other is headed to Honor, and its name suggests that there is a new series planned for Huawei's sister company.

Huawei has officially launched its new TalkBand B6 fitness tracker and Bluetooth headset combination wearable. Three editions of the Huawei TalkBand B6 have been released, with prices starting at 999 yuan (US$143). The versatile gadget comes with a blood oxygen monitor, Kirin A1 chip, Bluetooth 5.2, and heart-rate monitor.

Qualcomm has announced that its third fiscal quarter of 2020 (3FQ2020, which ended on June 28 of this year) ended with a total of US$4.89 billion in revenue. It also reported $848 million in pre-tax profits, and paying $0.74 per share in dividends. However, it also already projects that, thanks to a new deal with Huawei, 4FQ2020 will turn out much better.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has announced that there will be a Consumer Electronics Show (CES) scheduled for January 2021. However, it will not be held in Las Vegas as usual: instead, an "all-digital" experience is planned to replace the usual physical event. However, the Association is still confident it will be worthwhile for exhibitors and e-attendees alike.

The Huawei TalkBand B6 wearable has become the chief suspect for a teased product launch by the popular Chinese OEM. Although the promo image doesn’t specify what device is being marketed, the curved display certainly points to the TalkBand B6 fitness tracker and Bluetooth headset. A launch date of July 30 is also mentioned.

Amazfit claims that its ZenBuds TWS earbuds are so light and comfortable that they can be worn in bed all night. In fact, this is part of their use-case: to emit custom-designed audio that helps improve the user's sleep pattern. The brand has launched this product via Indiegogo, where they have now attracted just over US$1 million in backing.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch is finally getting a successor, according to some leaks. The latest of these reiterates several details currently linked to this accessory, and also claims that the rotating bezel that was so particular to its first generation is back. It is also now said to have stainless steel and a blood-pressure monitor in its hardware make-up.

Samsung has announced new headphones branded and optimized by AKG. The Y600NCs are the more premium of the two, and come with active noise cancellation (ANC) and an innovative rotating ear-cup for volume control. The Y400s, on the other hand, are smaller on-ears that come in a fresh range of colors.

Some new images of the Huawei TalkBand B6 have been leaked, with the upcoming wearable shown off in four different color variants. The fitness tracker/Bluetooth headset looks particularly elegant in stainless steel. The TalkBand B6 is expected to feature a Kirin A1 chipset for smart operations and a blood oxygen monitor.

WinFuture's Roland Quandt was the first tipster to assert that Samsung had developed a new, kidney-bean-like form-factor for its next-gen TWS earbuds. Now, this seems to have been borne out in increasingly convincing leaks since. Now, the same blogger is back with a more complete gamut of specs for these Galaxy Buds Live.

More details have spilled about the next-gen Oculus Quest including some images of the headset in the wild, confirming the leak earlier this week was legit. VR fans will be interested to learn that it is tipped to launch on September 15 and will come with design improvements among other tweaks.

Oppo has released an animated trailer for a Wear OS device that will reportedly launch worldwide on July 31, 2020. It is most likely for its first-gen smartwatch, which has been released in China but runs a variant of ColorOS in that region. This device is Apple-esque in its design and has a Qualcomm processor for wearables.

The GW16 is another budget smartwatch, and one that looks surprisingly like the Huawei Watch GT 2. The device can be purchased for under US$25 and features a large touch IPS display, a thermometer, a heart rate monitor and is IP67 certified.

The Huawei TalkBand B6 wearable fitness tracker and Bluetooth headset combination has leaked in some live images and short video clips. The dual-function accessory looks to be a step up from the previous generation, with the TalkBand B6 bearing a larger display and utilizing a Kirin A1 processor.

Movano wants to revolutionise the way people measure their glucose levels. Instead of the invasive or expensive methods that diabetics currently use, Movano is developing a solution that could be embedded within a conventional smartwatch.

The sequel to the Oculus Quest has leaked on Twitter. The revised VR headset looks to have addressed some of the ergonomic issues of the first gen model based on its appearance, but we can only speculate on which Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset powers it.

Xiaomi has slashed the price of its Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 in India to counter the upcoming threat from the recently launched OnePlus Buds. The Xiaomi earphones are now priced at ₹3,999 (US$53), which should help the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 take on the OnePlus Buds that have an advertised price of ₹4,990 (US$67).

The latest figures on the Indian hearables (or personal audio accessories with smart features) market show that Realme has rocketed into its top 5 brands. This success is particularly impressive as it only started selling products in this category in December 2019. Nevertheless, it now has more of a share than Sony or Xiaomi in that market.

Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked Event looks increasingly like it will include the reveal of both the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5G. Samsung’s President and Head of Mobile Communications Business TM Roh has revealed in a blog post that the company will “be introducing five new power devices” at its upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event.

The Xiaomi Mi Band 4C has been spotted appearing on Amazon Spain, where the budget fitness tracker can be bought for a very reasonable €19.99 (US$23/£18). While the Chinese OEM is busy releasing wearables in Europe, it looks like Xiaomi might be also planning on adding some new Mi TVs to its range in India.

Samsung Health is an app perhaps mostly associated with this OEM's phones and wearables, but in fact also works across more of its hardware ecosystem. Some of its users have seen a notification that its latest update will remove its Food (or Calorie), Weight and Caffeine Tracking sections. Therefore, their widgets will stop functioning after this OTA is implemented.

Heart rate monitoring may seem to be a feature of many smartwatches and fitness trackers, but some OEMs have been including fakes in their budget fitness trackers. Instead of including photoelectric heart rate sensors that are found in many devices, these fitness trackers have two green LEDs.

Xiaomi has announced the new Redmi AirDots 2 earphones, which will be officially launched on July 22. The TWS earphones are currently priced at 79 yuan (US$11) during the crowdfunding stage. The budget earphones offer Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, virtual assistant functionality, and they weigh in at just 4.1 g per earbud.

The new Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 fitness tracker is now available on Amazon US and at a reasonable price, too. US shoppers can pick up the Mi Smart Band 5 from US$49.98, which is similar to the price of the wearable in Europe. However, buyers should be aware that this is the non-NFC variant of the smart band.

OnePlus is currently busily hyping its upcoming take on the mid-range 5G phone, the Nord. Its latest teaser indicates that it comes with certain communication-related Google apps out of the box. This, apparently, is done to keep its software experience the "smoothest" it can be.

Mobvoi is a wearables brand that is teasing its next upcoming products, the Earbuds Gesture, via Indiegogo. They can be controlled through either head movements (in line with their name) or touch-sensitive panels. The OEM also claims they have a whopping 50 hours of battery life.

Samsung promoted the Galaxy Watch Active 2 as a health-focused wearable that would rival the Apple Watch series thanks to its in-built medical-grade electrocardiography (ECG). However, the function was disabled at its launch. This is not the case anymore; however, German and Austrian users are reportedly still waiting for their access to this feature.