Chinese Tech

Xiaomi has now revealed its plans for the MIUI 14 rollout in China. The company has released a long list of devices that will get the MIUI 14 update first in its home market, including models in the Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12S, and Redmi K50 series. Tablets including the Redmi Pad are slated to receive MIUI 14 in Q2, however.

The Huawei Mate 50 series arrived a few months ago with 4G-only versions of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. According to a new leak, Huawei will use the same hardware on its next batch of premium phones, the P60 series. The Mate 60 line will get different silicon, however.

The MediaTek Dimensity 8200 is the latest chipset out of Taiwan and promises to build on the success of the critically acclaimed Dimensity 8100. Like its predecessor, it will find use on a Xiaomi smartphone, with Xiaomi now confirming the Redmi K60E to be among the first batch of smartphones to feature the new Dimensity 8200.

Xiaomi originally scheduled its product launch event for December 1. Those plans were scrapped due to events in China, but the company has now confirmed a new date for that event—December 11—during which the Xiaomi 13 series and other devices will be unveiled.

Geekom is discounting the Core i7-1195G7 variant of its Mini IT11 by US$60 through the month of December and throwing in a free keyboard and mouse with the purchase. The Mini IT11 features up to 32 GB of RAM, 1 TB of NVMe SSD storage, and a Tiger Lake Intel Core i7-1195G7 CPU with Intel Iris Xe Graphics (96 EU). Use code XMIT11A at checkout for the discount.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 and Z Flip4 are the mainstream options in the foldable market. OPPO challenged Samsung will the Find N last year, though, and is now set to do so again with the OPPO Find N2 and Find N2 Flip, with both foldables tipped to launch shortly.

The postponed launch of the Mi 13 smartphones was supposed to include Xiaomi's first two incursions in the mini PC sector. Leaks reveal that one of these appears to be a barebones kit that supports dual-slot dGPUs and is equipped with a 100 W custom PSU, while the other is the size of an Intel NUC and is powered by AMD's Ryzen 7 6800H.

The upcoming Doogee T20 is the brand's second tablet. It comes with Android 12 preloaded and uses the Unisoc T616 processor, alongside 8 GB of memory and 256 GB internal storage (up to 1 TB microSD expansion supported). This slate has a 10.4-inch 2K display and a generous 8,300 mAh battery. Sales will start later this month.

With its wide range of customization options, the Android 13-based SparkOS ROM is probably the best choice for those still using the half-decade old Xiaomi Mi A1. While reliable and fast, this piece of code also comes with a smart (yet unorthodox) surprise for mobile photography fans.

Moving forward, OnePlus will be providing four major OS upgrades and five years of security patches to select smartphones. This is identical to Samsung's software update policy and guarantees that 2023 flagships like the OnePlus 11 and Samsung Galaxy S23 series will be supported for about the same time.

Xiaomi has now officially announced the postponement of the launch event of its imminent flagships, the Xiaomi 13 series. The phones were originally scheduled to debut tomorrow, December 1, but those plans have been temporarily shelved, likely in honor of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin who passed this morning.

Although it will launch as a rugged phone, the upcoming Doogee V30 sports a back covered with eco-friendly leather and a wood grain-inspired side panel. While most specs have not been unveiled yet, Doogee has confirmed eSIM support as the V30's main feature. Thanks to it, up to 4 different eSIM numbers can be available at a time.

Although it hasn't been officially announced yet, the Beelink SEi12 Pro with an Intel Core i7-1260P processor is already available for purchase. The prices start at US$599.99 for the barebone version and go up to US$799.99 for the configuration that includes 32 GB of memory and a 500 GB SSD.

If you or someone you know needs a compact desktop, GEEKOM is offering up to 29% off two of its mini PCs now through November 27. Be sure to select the on-page coupon for full savings.

Although not the flagship killer some expected, the OnePlus 10 Pro 5G is an interesting Android smartphone that Amazon's ongoing deals are making even more tempting. The discounts offered for this US unlocked handset co-developed with Hasselblad are 31% for the 8/128 GB variant and 36% for the 12/256 GB model.

Released in September 2017, the Xiaomi Mi A1 is now half a decade old and one of the few Android 7 handsets that can run Android 13. Official software support for it stopped at Android One, but this Qualcomm Snapdragon 625-powered smartphone is kept alive by the efforts of the custom ROM community.

After releasing the Nord Watch and Nord Buds, OnePlus has its sights set on two new non-smartphone products. According to word on the grapevine, the OnePlus Pad is in development, alongside the OnePlus Buds Pro 2.

MediaTek announced this week that it would be developing the silicon used to power both the PS VR2 headset and the PS Sense controllers. Sony stated that it chose to work with MediaTek because the chip manufacturer could develop an SoC that was powerful and efficient enough to meet their demands, although cost is another probable factor.

Huawei's Kirin line of processors were once a main rival for Qualcomm's Snapdragon mobile SoC series, particularly at the higher end. However, they have been sanctioned out of existence by the US government. There have been rumors of their return in 2023; however, the OEM has reportedly dismissed them as fake news.

Huawei's Petal is its in-house alternative to Google or Apple Maps, developed for the first-party HarmonyOS UI. The OEM has just unveiled a new and "powerful" 3D real-world feature for the app, touted to confer hyper-realistic "digital world" based on a given location. It requires new GPU applications and techniques, as well as enough photos of the place in question.

Realme is thought to launch a new mid-range Android smartphone called the 10 Pro Plus with a series-first curved display driven by the new SoC. Now, a well-known tipster claims to have evidence of at least one of those updates. Meanwhile, the device's full spec sheet has allegedly leaked out ahead of its launch.

The new Chunxiao GPU is set to power an MTT S80 gaming card along with 16 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, as well as an MTT S3000 datacenter card with 32 GB of VRAM. Raw performance levels are estimated to match Nvidia's RTX 3060 Ti and Moore Threads promises support for at least 40 of the most popular games in China, including Crossfire, CoD MW3, Diablo 3 etc. AV1 8K coding and decoding support is also a prominent feature.

The MediaTek Dimensity 9200 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 are coming. The two next-gen flagship chipsets will debut this month, and new leaks have now revealed core configuration details and early GPU performance numbers that outperform Apple's A16 Bionic.

Huawei is now strongly hinting at an upcoming new feature for its latest top-end foldable smartphone, the Mate Xs 2, to be unveiled during the OEM's upcoming Developer Conference. The upgrade could put the premium device on par with the latest iPhone 14 series in terms of cutting-edge innovations - then again, it might have its limits.

The MediaTek Dimensity 9200 is on the way. MediaTek's next-gen flagship was rumored to launch before its rival, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and those rumors look to have had substance to them, with a new leak revealing what appears to be a press invite for a November 8 event.

Vivo is a smartphone OEM that has just secured the #1 spot in its native market of China for the third quarter of 2022 (3Q2022). Therefore, it could bring up this opportunity at a flex during the press conference it has scheduled in November 2022 to unveil its latest software for mobile devices sold in the same country. OriginOS 3 is touted to enhance IoT control as well as bring Android 13 features to the first flagships to see its public betas.

Google's Pixel 7 Pro and Honor's Magic4 Ultimate have just lost their joint position as #1 in terms of DxOMark's rear camera scores to the Huawei Mate 50 Pro. The first-gen XMAGE flagship smartphone has been unveiled as the testing group's new champion in this respect, grabbing acclaim for its auto-focus, dynamic range and ability to capture high detail with its triple rear shooters.

The Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro are billed to launch before the end of the year, and will likely be among the first batch of phones to adopt Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Details of the Xiaomi 13 Pro have now leaked online, touting a 1-inch type IMX989 50 MP primary camera and other impressive bits of hardware.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro Discovery Edition debuted a few days ago in China as the fastest-charging smartphone the world has ever seen, with its 210 W brick being advertised as able to charge the phone fully in just nine minutes. The mid-range phone has now been put through a charging test, with results not quite matching Xiaomi's claims but still well ahead of the competition.

Redmi's alleged plans to launch a 2023 version of the pre-existing Note 11 Pro seemed confusing enough even before the new 12 series became official. Nevertheless, the Xiaomi brand is still said to go right ahead with the use of this product name, especially as a device with an allegedly corresponding model number has just shown up on Geekbench, increasingly obsolescent specs and all.

After a week of teasers, Xiaomi has now launched the Redmi Note 12 series in China. The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus will likely be considered the most interesting of the bunch, thanks to its new, impressive 200 MP main camera and a starting price tag that converts into less than US$300.

Transparent displays are thought to have an ever-expanding place in the future, within commercial displays and signage at least. Now, BOE has unveiled the latest result of its research and development in this area. Its new MLED has launched as a kind of see-through display with enhanced brightness and transmittance.

Xiaomi has now confirmed more details of its imminent Redmi Note 12 series. The lineup will play host to MediaTek's new Dimensity 1080 5G chipset, and at least one model in the series will feature the all-new 200 MP ISOCELL HPX camera sensor.

The Redmi Note 12 series is set to debut in China next month. Xiaomi has a global launch planned out as well, but new reports indicates that event is months away, and the devices to be launched will not be the same as the imminent Chinese models.

iQOO has made the latest addition to its flagship-killing Neo series of Android smartphones official. Its top-end MediaTek processor runs a new build of OriginOS Ocean out of the box, whereas its main rear camera is an up-to-date 50MP shooter with OIS. The surprisingly affordable flagship-grade device has launched alongside a range of iQOO-branded TWS earbuds, a smartphone cooler and a clip-on controller.

MINISFORUM is back with its third AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX-powered mini PC, namely the UM590. The powerful Zen 3 processor comes with a Radeon 8 iGPU and supports up to 64 GB DDR4 memory and multiple storage options. The prices start at US$459 for the barebone version, while shipments should start in about two months.

The Dimensity 9200 will be MediaTek's next-gen flagship chipset and is expected to rival the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The MediaTek SoC has now been tipped to win the launch race at least, with word from typically reliable quarters tipping it to debut before Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit.

According to word on the grapevine, the OnePlus 11 will be the successor to the OnePlus 10 Pro. The 2023-bound flagship was initially tipped to sport powerful camera hardware but it now appears OnePlus has no plans to do that, instead choosing to equip its next-gen premium phone with a 50 MP main camera already used on the OnePlus 9 Pro.

The Neo7 has been linked to a certain top-end MediaTek Dimensity SoC long before iQOO confirmed that it would launch. Now, the brand has broken down and admitted that the upcoming Android smartphone will indeed ship with the 9000+ prior to its debut. The powerful chipset will get even more help to drive an up-to-date OLED panel in this case, and may get improved screen-on time on top of that.

The Redmi K60 series is now thought to launch as a pair of premium Android smartphones with up to 2K displays and extra-large batteries with potentially crucial charging feature updates. Its Pro variant might upgrade to what will be the flagship Qualcomm chipset at the time of its launch, whereas the vanilla model might be left with its immediate precursor.

The new Honor X40 GT may indeed have the gaming chops for which it was hyped at its launch today (October 13, 2022), as it is powered by the still-powerful Snapdragon 888 SoC for 2021 flagship Android smartphones. It has been joined at this launch by the Play 6C, a new, even more affordable, 5G device that counts a decent display refresh rate and a large battery among its best attributes.

China Telecom has validated rumors that it would debut a successor to its W22 5G of 2021. The carrier has yet to reveal its design, however; therefore, its status as a super-high-end re-brand for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 has yet to be confirmed outright. It may be unveiled as such in late October 2022.

Xiaomi had reportedly been in talks to sell its premium gaming smartphone brand, Black Shark, to Tencent since early 2022. However, the latest word is that the software giant has ultimately passed on buying the company. Black Shark is now apparently obliged to let as many as half of its employees go, and to abandon plans for a foray into virtual reality (VR) tech on top of that.

The Xiaomi 13 will be Xiaomi's next high-profile smartphones. More details of the premium devices have now been revealed ahead of its launch, with one notable takeaway being Xiaomi's plans to make the vanilla Xiaomi 13 bigger than its predecessor.