Chinese Tech

The Watch Live is the OEM ZTE's first-gen health-focused wearable. It is an Apple Watch clone with a blood oxygen sensor, all-day heart rate tracking and an IP68 rating. Its maker has now released it to its global website for just under US$40.

Xiaomi has submitted its next Mi Pad to another certification agency, this time the FCC. The same tablet has already been seen at the EEC in Russia, making a global launch even more likely.

Xiaomi has released the July 2021 security patch to the Mi A2 Lite, three years to the month that the device debuted. This month's update is the last guaranteed for the Android One handset.

A refreshed list of Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO, and Black Shark devices that will or will not be updated to Android 12 has recently been published. The unofficial list features numerous changes from the last one, including the news that the POCO M3 has been relegated to the “won’t get Android 12” column.

The Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro have started receiving MIUI 12.5 globally. V12.5.1.0.RJDMIXM is rolling out now as an OTA and brings MIUI's global branch in line with many others, including Europe and India.

Xiaomi fans should start preparing for an influx of Redmi 10 smartphones. New specs leaks have started painting a picture of the likely affordable devices, with a rumor stating the presence of a 50 MP main camera sensor in one of the SKUs in the upcoming Redmi 10 series. The new phones will run on MIUI 12.5.

The IMILAB W12 is a new smartwatch from Xiaomi's ecosystem that has a lot going for it. According to the manufacturer, the W12 is IP68 certified and should last up to 30 days between charges.

Honor is thought to be one of a handful of OEMs that will get into the foldables game in 2021 or 2022. A well-regarded leaker now claims to confirm this is the case with some specific dimensions and details. The state-of-the-art device might have a primary display of about 8 inches in length covered with ultra-thin glass (UTG).

iQOO is a sub-brand of the OEM Vivo that specializes in Android smartphones that often focus on premium features at non-premium prices. It has announced that it has now shipped at least 25 million units globally, and is celebrating in one of its latest regional markets, India.

An engineer associated with the OEM Huawei has documented the design and creation of an electric bicycle. However, unlike the vast majority of these devices, this one is rated to propel and balance itself, thanks to a complex system of sensors and processing power, apparently modelled after similar breakthroughs in self-driving cars and satellite tech.

New Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 fan-made concept renders have appeared online that have already been splitting opinions among fans. The realistic nature of the Mi Pad 5 design has led to Xiaomi PR explicitly stating that they are unofficial. At least three different models of the tablet are expected, featuring a mixture of Snapdragon processors.

The manufacturer is promising "toughness and performance like no other cheap laptops" through its quad-core Celeron N4120 processor, 4 GB RAM, and aluminum alloy chassis.

New information about a potential Xiaomi Mi 12 has surfaced. It appears that the Mi 11 successor has already been spotted via the IMEI database. It is expected that the Mi 12 will feature flagship specifications across the board, including a possible Snapdragon 895 processor and even a 200 MP main camera sensor.

Some new Realme Book renders confirm the notebook's MacBook-like aesthetic and shed light on key design elements such as the chassis, number of ports, and overall dimensions. Realme is expected to unveil the laptop in India sometime in August 2021. Its price will allegedly start at INR 40,000 (US$536/€452).

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra has been soundly thrashed by the Sony Xperia 1 III in a series of speed tests. While both phones sport the Snapdragon 888 SoC and have 12 GB RAM each, it seems the new Xperia 1 III enjoys enhanced Android and RAM management optimizations over the Mi 11 Ultra with its heavy MIUI 12.5 overlay.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G has successfully impressed the reviewers at the noted benchmark site DxOMark. While the Mi 11 Lite 5G didn’t disturb the premium smartphones at the top of the overall rankings, it managed to tie for first place with the Google Pixel 4a in its price segment.

Amazfit has announced that its next pair of TWS earbuds will be unveiled during its upcoming “Future of Health” event. The popular health-wearable brand claims that they will help the user improve their posture in addition to their cardiovascular health, thanks to various kinds of advanced sensors. Its owner may also unveil a new, custom chip and OS for smartwatches during the same show.

OPPO has already launched the latest series of its Reno smartphones, in vanilla and Pro flavors. However, it has often tacked on additional variants in the previous generations of this line. Now, new leaks suggest that it is gearing up to do so again in 2021, starting with one called the Z 5G.

OnePlus has been facing plenty of flak lately because of the whole app-throttling performance and benchmark manipulation issue that the OEM was caught implementing with the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro smartphones. The company has posted a caption challenge to its followers on Twitter, which has somewhat backfired so far.

Realme is slated to launch its first-ever tablet, simply called the Pad of its brand, later in 2021. Photos posted to SlashLeaks allegedly reveal some details about its design and specs. They may reveal that it is a fairly generic-looking, if up-to-date, slate with a slim profile and a metallic unibody.

Xiaomi has started rolling out MIUI 12.5 to the Mi 9T Pro and Redmi K20 Pro in India. Currently, V12.5.1.0.RFKINXM is available as a Beta Stable update, but a download link has already leaked. MIUI 12.5 has already arrived on MIUI's European and Global branches.

The Mi Pad 5 series is due any month now, although little is known about Xiaomi's next flagship tablets. Reportedly, a hands-on image with numerous Mi Pad 5 parts has leaked from a factory though, just a day or so after a new Xiaomi tablet appeared at the MIIT.

Currently, EPOPOOS is selling a comparatively well-equipped smartwatch, not least because of its AMOLED display. The device supposedly supports Bluetooth 5.0, up to 20 days of battery life and heart rate tracking, too.

Xiaomi has started rolling out the MIUI 12.5 update for the Redmi Note 7 with the China ROM. Apparently, the firmware is in a stable beta form, so there will be a testing phase before a wider rollout commences. The Redmi Note 7 was released in February 2019 and has been a massive sales hit for Xiaomi.

Last week, two Xiaomi phones spontaneously went up in flames and dealt burn damage to victims. Xiaomi has now attempted to make amends in one of those cases, by replacing one of those devices without cost to the owner—and with an upgrade, to boot.

OPPO has registered schematics for a new phone with the European Union's Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). It looks a lot like one of the new Reno6 series - except for the new chassis that seems intended to come across as much more "gamer" than the existing variants. Therefore, the OEM might be preparing a rival for devices such as the Redmi K40 edition in the same vein.

Unlike Google's 53-qubit Sycamore quantum supercomputer that is based on electrons and superconductors, the latest Chinese achievement in the field dubbed Zuchongzhi can process 66 qubits and is based on optical circuits and photons.

Huawei has released another nova 8 series smartphone, its fifth to date. The nova 8i is certainly a mid-range smartphone, but it features the looks of a former Huawei flagship series.

According to a new report, Xiaomi has overcome the issues that ZTE experienced with making an under-display camera invisible to the naked eye. Supposedly, the technology will arrive in the Mi Mix 4, albeit possibly with hamstrung image quality.

The official OnePlus India Twitter handle erroneously posted a Tweet about the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. It was promptly deleted, but eagle-eyed users managed to screenshot it. OnePlus seems to have taken the whole incident in good spirit and implored Samsung to return the favour.

Xiaomi has announced that the MIUI 12.5 update for the Global ROM variant of the Redmi Note 8 Pro smartphone has started. The software update, which is based on Android 11, will initially be officially available to Redmi Note 8 Pro users who are part of the Mi Pilots beta-testing scheme.

Xiaomi has started rolling out MIUI 12.5 updates to four more devices in Europe. The OS upgrades are now live for the Mi 9, Mi 9T Pro, Mi Note 10 and Mi Note 10 Pro. Xiaomi has based all builds on Android 11.

Vivo filed a patent for a smartphone that could house an entire mini-drone inside of it. Some new concept renders of the device have emerged online, giving us a rough idea about how it would operate. The drone will draw power from the phone's battery and serve as a suspended camera of sorts.

A new Xiaomi device, described as "a tablet" by a reliable tipster, has reportedly been approved for sale in China by its Ministry for Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). This might be a sign that the rumored 2021 Mi Pad is set to launch soon. Its latest leak suggests it is powered by the 5g-capable Snapdragon 870 SoC.

HiSilicon is a group within Huawei responsible for the development of this OEM's in-house chipsets, the flagship Kirin mobile SoCs included. It has just signed a five-year deal with Shenzhen JT Automation Equipment, characterized as a collaboration on independent semiconductor processing. Therefore, the move could help Huawei circumvent the sanctions that prevent it working with US suppliers to help make its components.

No, Redmi Note 8 owners, you aren't forgotten. Xiaomi has now begun the Android 11 rollout for the Redmi Note 8. The Android 11 OTA is now being sent out to the European model of the then-popular mid-range phone. It weighs in at over 2 GB but owners will have to wait some more for MIUI 12.5.

Xiaomi announced a resumption of its in-house mobile chipset project with the launch of the Surge C1, a custom image-signalling processor (ISP) found in the premium Mi Mix Fold. Now, a famous leaker asserts that OPPO is working on one of its own, with the aim of enhancing the camera performance of its own next-gen phones. The OEM has also patented its own wraparound-display phone, thereby copying another Xiaomi move.

Amazon has banned well-known brands from its platforms, including Aukey, Mpower, TaoTronics and RAVPower. However, the retailer has now caught up with another Chinese manufacturer.

Another day arrives with yet another issue of OnePlus messing things up. The company has now been found to be severely throttling browser performance of Chrome, Twitter, and pretty much all popular internet-based apps on the OnePlus 9 Pro. Geekbench considers this to be a form of benchmark manipulation and has now delisted the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro.

Nexperia, a maker of numerous component types (FETS and diodes) included, has reportedly bought Newport Wafer Fab, which pitches its silicon products at a range of industrial clients, for an estimated US$87 million. The rumored talks might result in an increased foothold in the semiconductor industry for Nexperia's China-based owner.

Huawei is slated to launch a flagship P50 series later in July 2021. The OEM is said to have secured Snapdragon 888 processors for these smartphones - albeit 4G/LTE-only versions of these SoCs. Now, a notable leaker suspects that a just such a device has been approved by 3C officials.

Dizo is Realme's first spin-off under its new TechLife smart product ecosystem. This branding has been spotted on 2 new feature phones, rumored to be called the Star 500 and 300. With removable batteries to power their tiny screens, super-compact form-factors and dual-band 2G connectivity, they are likely to emerge as mobile phones of the extreme budget category.

The first MIUI 13 build is expected to be rolled out in a beta form very soon for users of some Xiaomi smartphones with the China ROM. While it was widely expected that the upcoming Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 would be one of the first devices to operate MIUI 13 out of the box, it now seems the Mi Mix 4 will come with MIUI 12.5.

Xiaomi is preparing a handful of interesting devices for an August launch event. One of them will be the Redmi K40 Ultra, a device tipped to be powered by MediaTek's latest and greatest while trading punches with OnePlus's upcoming mid-range phone, the OnePlus Nord 2.

Nokia has now missed multiple rumored deadlines for the launch of new Android flagship phones. However, a new report from a Chinese media outlet claims that a company executive has confirmed that one will coincide with a late 2021 festival day in that country. As it is often accompanied by major retail promos, this might make sense.

The GT Master Edition is rumored to launch as the world's first "Realme x Kodak" smartphone. It has also been slated to do so with the high-end Snapdragon 870 processor on board. However, the latest tips suggest the OEM has opted for a new mid-range 5G chipset in this device instead.

After incidents with a Poco X3 and Redmi Note 9 Pro months ago, two Xiaomi devices have now also chosen to go the way of flames. The two devices, a Poco C3 and a Redmi 8, exploded and dealt damage to the owner and a child respectively, with Xiaomi initially absolving itself of all blame in one instance.

An unofficial Android 12 list featuring phones from Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO, and Black Shark has included over 70 devices that are expected to either receive the update or are even already in internal testing. There are some surprising omissions, with the Xiaomi Mi 9T, Redmi K20 Pro, and Redmi Note 8 series not getting a look in.

Yesterday, the OxygenOS 11.0.4.4 software update has arrived for OnePlus Nord CE handsets in India. Other markets should get it in the coming days. The list of changes includes faster charging, improved front camera performance, reduced noise in night photos, optimized video call experience, as well as the June security patch.

Hisense has announced that a version of its smart TV UI, VIDAA, is the world's first to pass the requirements for a TÜV Rheinland Privacy by Design Certification. This badge is based on European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI) standards of resistance to malicious tactics such as DDoS attacks, remote user device control and data-theft.