Chinese Tech

OPPO is currently at the Smart China Expo 2021 to launch new additions to its VOOC line of mobile-device chargers. They are (surprise, surprise) new magnetic wireless chargers for improved attachment to their compatible phones. This new MagVOOC series consists of a slim charging puck, a power bank and a new charging stand thus far.

Xiaomi has now begun rolling out the MIUI 12.5 update to the Poco X3 NFC and the Redmi Note 9 Pro—both in Europe. While the rollout for the Redmi Note 9 Pro is a limited one, all Poco X3 NFC owners in Europe should be getting their first taste of MIUI 12.5 right about now.

Xiaomi has now officially revealed its plans for a global product launch event scheduled for September 15. While the company doesn't reveal which products it will release on that day, other sources indicate the Mi 11T series and Mi Pad 5 will be the stars of the show.

The iQOO 8 Pro has just launched in China to challenge the Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 with its Snapdragon 888+ SoC and brand-new, extremely premium E5 display. Now, the appearance of a new phone from its OEM on the Google Play Console has sparked rumors that it is about to get a global launch. However, it seems not to have the full-fat specs of this new Pro smartphone.

Recent leaks have hinted that Lenovo is working on the Tab P12 Pro, a new tablet with high-end specs, especially when compared to its putative predecessor. Now, a device with its rumored model number has been approved by the FCC. This new certification suggests the device will have an ~11-inch display and a single rear camera.

ZTE'S high-end Android gaming brand Nubia may be gearing up for its next launch event, despite having already released its flagship 6 and 6 Pro in 2021. This leak has given rise to speculation that this upcoming show is for a 6S, which would succeed an analogous iterative refresh from the previous year.

Xiaomi is on the verge of releasing a 27-inch monitor in Europe. The 1080p and IPS monitor will arrive as the Mi Desktop Monitor 27" with TÜV Rheinland certification, a 75 Hz refresh rate and 300-nit peak brightness. The Mi Desktop Monitor 27" will launch in September.

According to recent leaks, the first foldable to be launched by the OEM Honor will be called the Magic Fold and might be here as soon as the last quarter of 2021. Now, a well-known tipster has posted what could be renders of this phone. They strongly suggest that it will look much like counterparts from Samsung or Huawei, but will have rear cameras similar to those of the brand's 50-series smartphones.

Realme is geared to release a slew of devices next month but the star of the show will be the company's first tablet, the Realme Pad. The Realme Pad is expected to rival Xiaomi's new Mi Pad 5, and details of the tablet have now surfaced ahead of launch, revealing some specs, dimensions, and even pricing speculation.

Xiaomi failed to release a successor to the Mi Note 10 last year. The company appears to finally be working on such a device, though, and initial details of what could be the Mi Note 11 have now surfaced. As expected, the cameras are the stars of the show here.

The design of the rear case of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 11T has been revealed in an FCC listing. The certification database also mentions that the Mi 11T will operate on MIUI 12.5 out of the box and that it has an “overall diagonal dimension” of 174 mm. The Mi 11T is expected to sport a MediaTek Dimensity chip.

The latest market research suggests that an important tipping point in the mobile processor market has arrived. It seems the cost-effectiveness of new 4G/LTE processors will start dropping soon, as manufacturers and chip-makers inevitably turn their focus on 5G-capable platforms instead. On the other hand, this kind of connectivity is still not widespread enough to kill its predecessor off completely.

After sending out the MIUI 12.5 update to Global ROM units of the Redmi Note 10, Xiaomi is now expanding the rollout to include the European model of the phone. The OTA delivers the July security patch, but Xiaomi's vaunted Second Space feature remains absent.

The Mi Mix 4 is Xiaomi's latest super-premium non-flexible smartphone. It is also the first of this category to rock an under-display selfie camera. Unfortunately, it now seems this upgrade has helped pushed its repair costs skyward, even compared to the Mi 11 Ultra with its higher-resolution display.

Xiaomi never followed up the Poco F1 with a Poco F2. It appears, however, that the company actually built a Poco F2 but just never released it, and a working prototype of the device has now been revealed, two years after it would've launched.

Haylou has announced another new smartwatch, following the RS3 earlier this year. The Haylou RT2, also called the Haylou LS10, has a chic design, IP68 certification and a reasonably large battery, among other features.

A Redmi executive has accused Realme of being copycats after the latter company supposedly and blatantly copied some of Xiaomi’s recent initiatives. Ironically, Xiaomi has frequently been accused of copying Apple, especially in terms of actual product design. Realme and Xiaomi/Redmi are fierce competitors in many markets.

OPPO's Future of Imaging conference of today (August, 19, 2021) introduced a number of new and potentially powerful camera upgrades that might start to appear in new smartphones over the next couple of years. The OEM claims they include advanced hardware-based stabilization, continuous zoom modules and a new RGBW matrix for next-gen sensors.

According to a report, the Mi 12T and Redmi K50 could be very similar devices. The Mi 12T may have a few advantages over the Redmi K50 though, including OIS.

Xiaomi has only released the Mi Band 6 NFC in China so far, with the non-NFC model the sole option for fans outside of the company's home market. A new certification suggests that Xiaomi could be about to bring the Mi Band 6 NFC to more markets, though.

A new leak has claimed to reveal some important specifications of Xiaomi's upcoming premium phone, the Mi 11T Pro. The Mi 11T series has now also been tipped to launch shortly—on September 23, to be exact—with the phone expected to be available worldwide like its predecessor.

Xiaomi is now sending out the August security patch to its last remaining Android One smartphone, the Mi A3. The update is currently rolling out to owners of the global model of the phone, and should also be sent out to European units shortly.

Zeblaze has started selling the GTR 2, a successor to the affordable GTR. The 44 mm smartwatch has a 1.28-inch display, a Bluetooth 5.0 modem and is compatible with Android or iOS devices.

The MIUI memory extension feature appears to be rolling out to more phones in Xiaomi’s extensive lineup. Not only is the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 11T likely included but there’s also room for the Mi 10T Lite and Mi 10 Lite Zoom on this particular memory expansion list of supported devices.

The Mi Mix 4 is flying off the shelves at the moment, with Xiaomi unable to produce enough of them. If you can get your hands on one, then you will be presented with an enormous box and a charger that can fully replenish the device in 15 minutes.

According to reports, Xiaomi has sourced displays from Samsung for the Mi 12, its next-generation flagship smartphone series. Apparently, the Chinese company has settled on the Samsung E5, an AMOLED display that will also be found in the Galaxy S22 series.

Xiaomi has upgraded the Redmi K30 Pro to MIUI 12.5 Enhanced, the latest version of the company's smartphone OS. The Redmi K30 Pro, also known as the POCO F2 Pro in other markets, is one of a dozen devices to receive MIUI 12.5 Enhanced initially before Xiaomi commences a broader rollout later this year.

A new OPPO phone, most likely a new K-series variant, has leaked out via the Chinese regulator TENAA. Besides the fact it may become the latest Dimensity 1200-powered smartphone on its launch, it already stands out in that it has adopted the new "visor-cam" look for its triple rear shooters.

Xiaomi has now finally launched the Redmi 10 globally. The Redmi 10 sits below the Redmi Note 10 in Xiaomi's hierarchy and may prove a more attractive device thanks to an attention-grabbing design, overall solid hardware, and a sub-US$200 price tag.

Realme has now officially announced the upcoming release of its first tablet device, the Realme Pad. The Realme Pad 5 is expected to do battle with Xiaomi's well-received Mi Pad 5 and may already have an edge thanks to an AMOLED display.

It turns out that Xiaomi's latest tablets support a desktop mode, first seen in the Mi Mix Fold. The mode makes the Mi Pad 5 and Mi Pad 5 Pro easier to use in many ways, especially with a keyboard and mouse.

MIUI 12.5 Enhanced will arrive on more than 12 devices, Xiaomi has confirmed. The OS update will reach all handsets in Xiaomi's first batch by August 27, which includes the Mi 11 Ultra. Second and third batches will eventually follow, too.

iQOO has launched the flagship 8 series as promised today (August 17, 2021). It offers a new Pro variant with the updated Snapdragon 888+ processor and a new E5 LTPO AMOLED display with a 2K resolution, 10-bit color and a 120Hz refresh rate. These specs also make it the world's latest DisplayMate A+-rated smartphone.

Xiaomi is now expanding the MIUI 12.5 rollout for the Redmi Note 9. The EU ROM model Helio G85-powered phone is currently receiving the MIUI 12.5 update, as Xiaomi also sends out a conspicuous August security update to the European Poco F2 Pro.

Xiaomi will allegedly resurrect the Mi CC line of smartphone soon. The all-but-abandoned series is slated to gain new variants with high display refresh rates and potentially premium-grade rear cameras. They are also now said to debut alongside a Mi Watch successor with a brand-new Qualcomm platform.

According to a report, Xiaomi is readying two new Mi 11 Lite models, both with Snapdragon 778 SoCs. The pair will also have 1080p displays, albeit with different refresh rates. One model may have an under-display selfie camera, too.

Some new tips suggest that Motorola will launch a new Moto G-series phone with an interesting name soon. The unusual moniker has reportedly appeared in new regulatory material filed by the OEM with several official groups. These leaks also hint that it will be available in several markets, the US and Canada included.

The Mi Pad 5 may arrive in Europe as early as September, albeit possibly without the Mi Pad 5 Pro. On the other hand, Redmi General Manager Lu Weibing asserts that several factors are preventing Xiaomi from producing as many Mi Mix 4 handsets as possible.

Xiaomi has shared some sales figures for both its new Mi Pad 5 tablet series and the Mi Mix 4 smartphone. Unsurprisingly, both were massive hits in China, where hundreds of thousands of devices were sold within minutes. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 4, Xiaomi Mi Pad 5, and Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 Pro are currently out of stock.

Xiaomi will launch the Mi 11T and Redmi K40 Ultra later this year and details of the devices have now surfaced. The revealed specs are unlikely to thrill fans of the series, however, thanks to a MediaTek chipset and lackluster camera hardware across the board.

OPPO has had a new patent for potential next-gen wearables granted in its native China. It is intended to allow the accessories in question to authenticate the user by reading their veins rather than their fingerprints or faces. This form of biometric recognition could thus be added to a future Band or Watch from this OEM.

Realme has confirmed that it will launch its first-ever ultrabook in a few days from today (August 15, 2021). This PC - to be called the Book Slim in some markets - is now also said to come with some additional features and accessories that might bring it up to the level of some rival OEMs such as Xiaomi and Huawei.

The appearance of a new phone with the Snapdragon 888+ processor on Geekbench 5 has led to speculation that it is the upcoming iQOO 8 Pro surfacing in a new leak. Should this be the case, it might offer an insight into how this device might perform compared to its closest potential competitor, the Mi Mix 4, not to mention its immediate predecessor, the iQOO 7.

Xiaomi has now continued its war against leaks by slamming a media company with a huge US$155k fine for leaking the Mi Mix 4 before launch last week. This comes after similar moves by Samsung and Apple to restrict an industry that has become the bread and butter of tech journalism over the years.

The Redmi K50 series will succeed the Redmi K40 lineup when it's released. A new leak has now dropped a hint of what to expect from the Redmi K50 series performance-wise with the lineup expected to offer phones with both the Snapdragon 898 and Snapdragon 888.

The GPD XP is the company's latest gaming handheld, but it will not compete against the AYA NEO, ONEXPLAYER or the Steam Deck. Instead, the GPD XP will face off against gaming smartphones, with the advantage of having a modular controller.

Xiaomi has started rolling out MIUI 12.5 Enhanced to some smartphones. The latest version of Xiaomi's OS makes some minor adjustments from MIUI 12.5 and will be available on a dozen devices. Xiaomi is expected to release MIUI 12.5 Enhanced globally, too.

There has been an early sighting of a Black Shark 5 smartphone, with some outlets already reporting that the gaming smartphone could be released later this year. According to one leaker, the Black Shark 5 can expect to enlist the help of the Snapdragon 888+ processor for some serious synthetic benchmark results.

Xiaomi has announced its latest top-end Mi Wireless Charging Stand. It has the same premium build as its predecessor, although it upgrades to a maximum rate of 100 watts (W). The new accessory supports the Mi Mix 4, and comes with a 120W wall charger in the box.