Chinese Tech

OPPO's latest product event was a bumper update for its device ecosystem in general. Not only did it introduce the new K9 smartphone, but it also revealed the new TVs of the same name. The Enco Air TWS earbuds also debuted at the show, as did the Vitality Edition of the OPPO Band.

Xiaomi has started distributing MIUI 12.5 internationally, beginning with the Mi 11. The flagship can now be upgraded to MIUI 12.5 on MIUI's European branch ahead of a wider rollout. Other devices should follow, including the Mi 10 series.

OnePlus has finally rolled out the always-on display feature that it advertised for the OnePlus Watch ahead of its launch. The latest update for the much maligned device also includes a new workout, a remote camera function and improves the system UI and stability.

Lenovo has teased what could be the rumored Yoga X tablet on its Weibo account with a very interesting new capability. The new tablet is pictured hooked up to a Nintendo Switch over an HDMI port allowing it to do double duty as a portable monitor.

Xiaomi is planning to release three premium tablets this year, according to information gleaned from the MIUI Home app. The trio, which may well be the Mi Pad 5, Mi Pad 5 Pro and Mi Pad 5 Pro Plus, are expected to feature 120 Hz displays and last generation flagship SoCs.

Xiaomi's latest Redmi K40 handset may be receiving an international release. According to reports, Xiaomi has re-branded the Redmi K40 Gaming Enhanced Edition as the POCO F3 GT. The POCO F3 GT will be sold in India at the very least.

Huawei has reportedly patented an in-house controller for virtual reality (VR) applications such as gaming. It is depicted as having a fairly standard form-factor, and possibly as coming in blue or black, in its new CNIPA documentation. Therefore, the OEM might be about to unveil products for this market.

A new rumor about the Xiaomi MIUI 13 release date has started making the rounds, presumably with the specific day pointing to a domestic China release first before the Android overlay is rolled out around the world. Joining this MIUI 13 launch rumor is a speculative list of 80 Xiaomi, Redmi, Poco, and Black Shark smartphones that could be eligible for this update.

Oppo fans in Europe will be delighted to know that the Oppo A54 5G is now official in the region for EUR 269 (US$324). The smartphone comes with exciting specs, such as a 6.5-inch LCD screen clocked at 90Hz, four rear cameras, and a Snapdragon 480 chipset and a 5,000mAh battery.

The Oppo A74 5G has officially been launched in Europe. Some of its key specifications include a 6.5-inch 90Hz LCD screen, Snapdragon 480 chipset, 6GB RAM, four rear camera modules, and a 5,000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging. It comes in two colour variants, Fluid Black and Space Silver, and costs EUR 299.

The ZTE brand Nubia has reportedly registered a new device called the NX667J. This new leak has led to speculation that it is a premium-grade phone called the Z30, not the least because it has been certified to use top-end 120 watt (W) charging. It might thus be combined with under-display camera technology in this potential upcoming flagship.

The Mi 11 Ultra is Xiaomi's new, camera-heavy flagship Android smartphone. It debuted in China in March 2021, but is still not available in various regions, Europe included. Now, however, a corporate Facebook page may have let a date for the release of the hyper-premium device in the Dutch market slip.

Research firm Counterpoint has published a report about global smartphone market share by quarter, including the first quarter of 2021. Apple has shrunk a little but still remains strong and Samsung looks solid as ever. However, Huawei’s situation seems perilous as the Chinese OEM has slipped from 20% share to just 4% in under a year.

Death, taxes, and Xiaomi phones going up in flames—the three certainties of life. Or so it seems recently, anyway. Another Xiaomi phone has now blown up, just two weeks after a similar case with a Poco X3. The device in this case was a Redmi Note 9 Pro, however.

Huawei is currently said to have upgrades for its premium MatePad Pro and Watch in the works. A well-known leaker now asserts that they do in fact exist and will launch soon. The tipster also now claims that the Watch3 will have a Pro variant, which, according to other recent rumors, will not come cheap.

Worries worsen that Chia, a storage-based cryptocurrency, could trigger a future shortage of SSDs and HDDs, as ADATA registered a massive 500 percent spike in sales in April, alongside a 6x increase in Chia's storage capacity.

With the MateBook D 16, Huawei offers a stylish laptop in a metal case with a 16.1-inch display for under 1,000 Euros (~$1,212). Is the device only compelling in terms of looks or does it also manage to convince with its components? And how does it compare to the very similar Honor MagicBook Pro?

What happens when you bend a ~US$3,000 foldable phone the wrong way? Fans of the YouTube channel JerryRigEverything can now find out, as the Huawei Mate X2 has paid it a visit. Its new chassis endured various tests of its robustness in the process, ending with a possibly surprising end to the vlogger's famous test.

Xiaomi has announced a new round of MIUI 12.5 Global Stable ROM testing, albeit only for POCO devices this time. All POCO smartphones apart from the Pocophone F1 are eligible to join the program. Xiaomi has not explained why the Pocophone F1 is missing from the program.

The LEM15 is a Frankenstein's monster of a device, with specifications that are closer to a smartphone than a smartwatch. Unsurprisingly, the LEM15 is large and heavy, so it will not be to everyone's tastes.

Rumour has it that Huawei plans to release two MateView monitors soon; one aimed at gamers and the other at professionals. The latter has already leaked, while the former is reportedly a 42-inch monitor with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a 165 Hz refresh rate.

Xiaomi has developed a penchant for raising the prices of its devices in India without warning, after launch. The latest victim is the Redmi Note 10 that was launched a few months ago, with the company raising prices by Rs 500 across all configurations of the device.

Huawei is on the verge of launching the P50 series, although it remains to be seen in what capacity. Various dummy handsets have confirmed some earlier rumours about the upcoming flagship series, including its camera design and that it will run HarmonyOS rather than EMUI.

Honor is already on the verge of launching another smartphone, the Honor Play 5. Apparently, the Honor Play 5 will be more powerful than the Play 5T Youth Edition that Honor launched earlier this month.

Huawei has afforded the Watch GT 2 Pro another update, further optimising the device. Firmware version 11.0.5.22 is rolling out to the Watch GT 2 Pro via the Huawei Health app.

The POCO M3 Pro 5G is on its way to market, and it will be a rebranded Redmi Note 10 5G. The POCO M3 Pro 5G will be available in multiple markets, including the EU. The device will have a Dimensity 700 SoC, a 90 Hz display and a 48 MP main camera.

Huawei has issued new updates for the Watch GT 2 and Watch GT 2e. The updates contain the same changes, such as an improvement for iOS users.

According to a new report, Honor is planning to return to using Qualcomm SoCs, following its split with Huawei. Apparently, the company is developing a flagship with the Snapdragon 888 Plus, presumably an overclocked Snapdragon 888. The device will run MagicUI 5.0 based on Android 11.

The Nubia Z20 stood out among Android flagship phones thanks to the 5.1-inch display built right into its rear panel. However, its maker has now shared renders that suggest its next generation will not reprise the feature. Then again, it may get a display with a selfie camera that can be concealed under its panel instead.

Xiaomi's premium gaming-phone brand Black Shark has announced that its 2021 vanilla flagship is now available to pre-order from its global web-site. Customers can get the Snapdragon 870-powered, up-to-120W-charging phone, which starts at US$499, with a case and a cooling accessory thrown in for a limited time.

Huawei has started distributing a new update to the Watch Fit, its stylish and rectangular smartwatch. The update brings a new feature to the smartwatch, while also improving its blood oxygen monitoring functionality.

The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 Global Edition fitness tracker is now officially available. The latest wearable in the popular Mi Band range comes with a new SpO2 sensor, 30 fitness modes, a full-screen AMOLED display, and it can offer up to 14 days of battery life. The affordable Mi Smart Band 6 can be ordered for under US$60.

The Mate X2 foldable phablet has been slated as the first device to see a public roll-out of Huawei's new in-house software, HarmonyOS. According to some knowledgeable Weibo users, the OEM has now started this process off. It seems the new system is still a developmental build, but is being sent as an OTA to the general public nonetheless.

OPPO has revealed that it will release a new version of its fitness tracker soon. This "Vitality Edition" has been hyped as supporting continuous sleep- and blood-oxygen tracking thus far. The OEM should outline its specs in full during its upcoming May 6, 2021 product event, which will also see the launch of the upcoming K9 phone and TV.

Xiaomi has begun rolling out MIUI 12.5 to select Redmi handsets. Until now, only recent Mi flagship smartphones were eligible, as was the Mi 9 SE. Now, Xiaomi has chosen five Redmi devices for MIUI 12.5, albeit still only on MIUI's Chinese branch.

Today (April 27, 2021), Redmi has introduced the long-hyped new member of the flagship K40 series as its Gaming Enhanced Edition. It is equipped with the premium MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC, a thin-bezel FHD+ AMOLED display, retractable shoulder buttons and a 5065mAh battery. It can be pre-ordered for as little as 1999 yuan (~US$308), although its Bruce Lee-themed special edition maxes out at just above $430.

Xiaomi and Samsung have reputedly teamed up to produce a custom SoC. Apparently, the chipset will feature the upcoming ARM Cortex-X2, along with ARM Mali GPU cores. The pair are believed to be in advanced negotiations.

The newest addition to Honor's Play series of smartphones is a markedly low-end entrant, starting at just 899 yuan (~US$139). That is not the only unusual thing about it, however, as the OEM has settled on a lesser-spotted Unisoc platform to power the device. It runs Android 10 using the Play 20's large 5,000mAh battery.

Xiaomi's 2022 flagship, presumably the Mi 12, could be the world's first smartphone to run a 200MP camera sensor. The unnamed sensor could be 1" in size. Samsung is likely to unveil it sometime in September this year.

A Chinese OEM has launched a somewhat unconventional motherboard for Chia miners. The Onda B365 D32-D4 Magic Edition is a regular B365 board with 32 SATA ports for enterprise-grade hard drives and six dedicated 6-pin connectors to power them.

Xiaomi Germany has apparently confirmed that there will be no global Mi Mix Fold, nearly a month after the device's announcement. It is unclear what has happened to the Mi Mix Fold Special Edition that Xiaomi teased for global audiences, though.

The Mi Band 6 launched as Xiaomi's latest fitness tracker in late March 2021, with a large AMOLED display, SpO2 tracking and even advanced sleep tracking. Now, the company's CEO, Lei Jun, has posted on Weibo to announce that 1 million units of this new wearable have shipped worldwide already.

The iQOO 7 launched as the cheapest phone with the top-end Snapdragon 888 SoC in its native China earlier in 2021. Now, it has finally scored a second regional debut, in India this time. It has been rebranded as the 7 Legend for its new market, and is accompanied by a new, even cheaper, variant that has a different Qualcomm chipset this time.

Xiaomi has introduced its most premium offering, the Mi QLED TV 75 smart TV in India recently. The QLED TV 75 offers the Android 10 smart TV platform with Google Assistant, Chromecast, and Alexa support. The TV also features wide color gamut support, a MediaTek MT9611 SoC, and the company's PatchWall content aggregation service that connects to more than 25 streaming services.

The entire Honor P50 Pro+ spec sheet has shown up online. It will reportedly pack a 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen, six cameras in total, a 4,400mAh battery that supports 67W charging, and a Snapdragon 888 chipset.

Huawei launched its Mate X2 flagship in February 2021 with a new design and a sky-high price-tag, even for a foldable device. Its new refresh might be a slightly better deal, however. It has the exact same specs as before - except for its SoC, which is the Kirin 9000 without the usual 5G modem. Therefore, it might cost a little less on its release in China.

It could be said that Xiaomi's Mi Mix Fold is the best flexible-display device on the 2021 market thus far. However, it debuted as a Chinese-market exclusive. Then again, the tipster Mukul Sharma has uncovered evidence that could point to its first international release soon.

Xiaomi's Mi MIX Fold is quite resilient, as it lasted a little over a week in a torture test that had it fold and unfold itself over 400,000 times. It is quite an impressive feat, considering that Samsung's original Galaxy Fold lasted a little over 100,000 cycles before sustaining damage.