Chinese Tech

Realme has confirmed that it will make a leap to phones with 108MP sensors in 2021. The phone most likely to be the first with this top-end spec is currently rumored to be one of the upcoming 8 series. Therefore, it might be unveiled at the OEM's Camera Innovation Event, set for March 2, 2021.

A massive Xiaomi Mi Pad 5-related leak has revealed the alleged specs and prices for the upcoming tablet. In addition, concept renders of the slate show it following the Mi 11 design language. With a Snapdragon 870 SoC and starting price of 3,999 yuan (US$619), the supposed Mi Pad 5 would be a rival for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7.

Xiaomi has unveiled its latest flagship killers, and there are three of them. Billed as the Redmi K40, Redmi K40 Pro and Redmi K40 Pro Plus, the trio all offer 120 Hz AMOLED displays, flagship SoCs and large batteries, among other features.

The leaker RODENT950 has made some heavy allusions to an image sensor which, despite being intended for mobile devices, is exactly 1 inch in size. This would make the alleged Sony IMX 800 unprecedentedly large for its category. It is predicted to launch in April 2021, and is touted to debut in the Huawei P50 flagship series.

The RedMagic 6 series of Snapdragon 888-powered gaming devices is slated to launch on March 4, 2021. Now, its maker Nubia has strongly hinted at an upgrade to 165Hz displays for these phones. They are also now slated to get 400Hz touch-sampling rates, which adds up to a potentially severe headache for Asus' ROG Phone 5.

OPPO has unexpectedly launched the Reno5 K 5G in China. This phone might sound familiar, as it is effectively a pre-existing device with a new SoC: the Snapdragon 750G. Therefore, it might be a more affordable variant, although it still packs all the best features of its series, 90Hz display and 65W charging included.

The next generation of Realme's affordable Narzo line is now official, along with its newest TWS earbuds. The 30 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 800U SoC and has a 5,000mAh battery, whereas the 30A gets one of 6,000mAh, even if it has an older and 4G-only Helio G85 processor. It is available from now, whereas its more premium sibling will have a March 4, 2021 release.

Xiaomi has launched the 2021 variants of the RedmiBook Pro 14 and RedmiBook Pro 15. Shoppers in China can choose from among six SKUs, with Intel Core i5 and i7 Tiger Lake processors and the Nvidia GeForce MX450 dGPU as central component options. The RedmiBook Pro 14 is fitted with a 2.5K display while the RedmiBook Pro 15 gets a 3.2K screen.

Apple has dominated a list of the most-shipped smartphones in 2020, with the iPhone 11 alone shipping 64.8 million units with an estimated value of around US$48.9 billion. Five iPhone models are in the top 10 list, joined by four Samsung Galaxy smartphones and a sole representative from Xiaomi in the form of the Redmi Note 9 Pro.

A seller in India has the yet-to-be-released Redmi Note 10 up for sale. It appears to be the 128GB storage variant of the vanilla Redmi Note 10 and it costs Rs 17,000 (US$234). However, you get only the handset, with the retail box being conspicuously missing.

OPPO asserts that slidable-OLED phones like its X 2021 are the best things since foldables. The OEM has teased the device in more detail than ever before at the MWC Shanghai 2021, outlining the various techniques it has developed to ensure its durability and functionality.

The Zeblaze Vibe 3S HD offers a round display, good battery life and plenty of other features. However, it is also an unashamed copy of the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro.

A new leak speculates that the OnePlus 9E/OnePlus 9 Lite could actually be called the OnePlus 9R. Renowned leaker Evan Blass seems to have dug up the OnePlus 9R moniker from the device's firmware. It is expected to serve as a cheaper alternative for the vanilla OnePlus 9.

ZTE has unveiled its second attempt at a display capable of hiding a front-facing camera at MWC Shanghai. The OEM claims to have doubled the pixel density in this new specialized screen tech, and to have enhanced it with new, heretofore unavailable features that include 3D facial recognition and augmented reality (AR) support.

More news about the Xiaomi Mi Band 6, which will likely be known as the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 for the global market, has been discovered via the Mi Fit app. It seems the Mi Band 6, which is expected to come with a built-in GPS, will allow wearers to reply to SMS messages and may even offer increased functionality for popular messenger services.

The 98-inch Redmi Smart TV Max is soon going to be joined by another monster television set from Xiaomi. The Chinese company has been teasing the fact on Weibo and asking followers what size the new Redmi Max TV could be. While some have their fingers crossed for 120 inches, it seems a smaller 86-inch set is more likely.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro already has many compelling features, including a SpO2 sensor and up to two weeks of battery life, to name but a few. However, the smartwatch can now reply to SMS, thanks to a new app.

Remote (or over-the-air) charging is a futuristic technology that a handful of mobile device OEMs claim to have cracked in 2021 thus far. The latest of these is OPPO, a company that has released a video of its new breakthrough in conjunction with MWC Shanghai. It also features OPPO's slidable-display phone, shown charging without cables or pads of any kind.

Xiaomi plans to release not just the Redmi Note 10 and Redmi Note 10 Pro but the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, according to a report. Packaging for the Redmi Note 10 and Redmi Note 10 Pro Max has made its way online too, which suggests that there will be AMOLED displays all round for the Redmi Note 10 series.

Recent leaks have supplied possible evidence of a successor to the popular, affordable Mi Band 5. Now, a new tip asserts that the wearable has been registered with Indonesian and Indian authorities, suggesting it may debut soon in those markets, at least. It also seems to spill the 6's model number, if no additional specs for the putative fitness tracker.

Realme has officially teased its upcoming Snapdragon 888-powered phone, the GT 5G, at MWC Shanghai 2021. The event has seen its "Racing Yellow" variant set in stone, and also hints at a novel "Stainless Steel VC" cooling solution. The OEM has also unveiled its new, "Dual-platform, Dual-flagship strategy". It apparently entails a second premium series that is, unlike the new GT, camera-focused.

Black Shark is Xiaomi's line of high-end gaming phones that is thought to have vanilla and Pro variants coming in 2021. They have both been approved by the Chinese authority 3C, which reveals that both of them will have the OEM's top charging speed currently seen in the Mi 10 Ultra: 120 watts (W). Like this phone, the upcoming devices have been registered alongside a compatible power brick.

The Redmi K40 series will be launched on February 25 in China and pricing details of the phones have now leaked ahead of launch. The leaked prices should gladden the hearts of expectant fans, with pricing for the lineup starting at the Chinese equivalent of US$340.

The Xiaomi Mi A3 has received another software update, following the release of V12.0.4.0.RFQMIXM last month. V12.0.6.0.RFQMIXM brings the Mi A3 onto the February security patch, which addresses 23 high or critical CVEs.

The Realme GT is almost here, and it will have a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The device will also have a 64 MP primary camera, along with an OLED display. A Snapdragon 888 should be in attendance, too.

Xiaomi has confirmed that it will pair the Redmi K40 series with a 4,520 mAh battery, a downgrade from last year's Redmi K30 Pro. The company has teased more details about its upcoming 'double flagship' smartphones too, including a special Damascus steel-inspired design.

Huawei has introduced its latest TWS earbuds alongside its new Mate X2 foldable. The accessories are definitely the more affordable of the two; nevertheless, they have high-end specs such as active noise cancellation (ANC), wearer detection and up to 10 hours of battery life. They have an AirPod-clone look, albeit with a new style of charging case and 3 color choices.

Huawei has announced the Mate X2 in China. This new foldable has been updated with an inward-folding design, much like its closest Samsung rival. However, the OEM has also set it apart with a new, space-saving design - on which a massive price-tag has been slapped, even for its premium category.

The Redmi K40 is due to be officially launched on February 25 and the smartphone is already being warmly embraced by potential buyers in China. Over a quarter-million bookings for the Redmi K40 have been made via a single retailer site. The latest phone from Xiaomi’s subsidiary sports high-end components for a likely attractive price.

After sending out the Android 11 update to the Mi 10T Lite and Redmi 10X 5G last week, Xiaomi is now blessing owners of the Mi Note 10 and Mi Note 10 Pro with the latest version of the OS. The update is currently rolling out to the European models of the devices.

The Moto E7 Power is the latest Motorola phone unleashed on the Indian market. However, it is slightly hard to see where it gets its new product name, as it has the same 5,000mAh battery as the E7 Plus. It also has the same MediaTek Helio G25 SoC as the E7, and will have 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage in its new market.

Xiaomi has confirmed yet more specifications about the Redmi K40 series, thought to launch as the Redmi K40 and Redmi K40 Pro. Not only will the pair feature the same display as the one found in the Mi 11 and Galaxy S21 Ultra, but they will also support Hi-Res audio and Dolby Atmos. The Redmi K40 is slated to launch globally as the Redmi Note 10 Pro, too.

The iQOO Neo5 has been touted as something of a flagship killer, as it has been rumored to launch with 88W charging and a punch-hole display in addition to its Snapdragon 870 SoC. Then again, its newest leaks hint that those specs might not be quite that great, although it will still have the same near-premium processor, not to mention a decently fast charging brick in the box.

Xiaomi is expected to launch a Lite version of its Mi 11 flagship smartphone soon. It is also rumored to have 4G and 5G variants, both of which have reportedly been certified by the Singaporean regulator IMDA. Therefore, they may now not be too far from the market.

The Motorola Edge S has shown up on Geekbench as the Moto G100, indicating that it could be launched globally soon. It managed to net a single-core score of 957 and a multi-core score of 2,815. This particular variant has 8GB of RAM and runs Android 11.

Xiaomi has been showing more of the upcoming RedmiBook Pro laptop series off in a couple of new teaser images. Unsurprisingly, the Xiaomi RedmiBook Pro has the look of an Apple MacBook Pro to it and also comes with a Thunderbolt 4/USB4 port. The updated notebooks will be launched on February 25.

Realme has recently confirmed that its next flagship smartphone will be called the GT and will launch on March 3, 2021. Now, one of its executives has posted what is claimed as an AnTuTu benchmarking score for the device. It apparently shows that the GT's Snapdragon 888 SoC has boosted it just past the 770,000 mark in this test.

A Chinese news site claims that Huawei plans to make not much more than 80 million phones in 2021, as opposed to the ~189 million units it shipped in 2020. Meanwhile, other reports suggest it will also cut the P50 series' supply, and also possibly delay their unveiling until later in the year than usual.

ZTE's CEO, Ni Fei, has confirmed that his company will bring the next generation of its under-display camera to the upcoming MWC Shanghai event. This technology, which features in the OEM's Axon 20 5G, enables a selfie shooter to completely conceal itself underneath the display. Its upgraded form might allow for enhanced functionality, Face Unlock included.

After sending out the Android 11 update to phones like the Mi Note 10 Lite, Mi 10 Lite, and Mi 10T series, Xiaomi is now seeding the stable beta update to the ever-relevant Redmi Note 8, albeit only in China at the moment. The update should be expanded to other regions in the coming weeks, though.

Nubia has asserted that its upcoming RedMagic 6 gaming flagship phones will "race ahead" in 2021. To this end, it has just pre-empted Asus' ROG Phone 5 by announcing that this new series will debut on March 4, 2021 - right after Asus set its own event for March 10. The first launch is expected to usher in Snapdragon 888-powered devices with improved cooling, Tencent branding and up to 120W charging.

Realme has announced that its second-gen Buds Air will launch in India on February 24, 2021. It has also confirmed multiple leaks about these TWS earbuds in teasing their specs prior to this event. They include the (expected) ANC, as well as the fact that they will have 10mm "Diamond class" drivers, improved battery life and a low-latency Gaming Mode.

Xiaomi has confirmed that it will announce the Redmi K40 series on February 25. Ahead of next week's launch, Xiaomi has teased multiple details about its upcoming 'double flagships', thought to be the Redmi K40 and Redmi K40 Pro. One teaser may have revealed the front of at least the Redmi K40, too.

OPPO has reportedly finally obtained a certification for the Find X3 (or PEDM00) from the Chinese authorities, suggesting a launch announcement for its flagship series will follow shortly. Its new TENAA images show a phone quite like X3 Pro leaks to date, although it might have a different rear panel and camera arrangement.

The smartphone OEM Vivo has made its brand-new Romanian and Czech websites live, and has announced that it will also start to offer its products in 4 more European countries by the end of 2021. This would make the total number of countries from this region in which Vivo sells its products up to 12, which may thus get access to its flagship X60 series this year.

The GSMA has announced that it is currently considering running its flagship conference live and in Barcelona once again, albeit with up to 50,000 in-person attendees. Meanwhile, its Chinese counterpart, MWC Shanghai, is slated to begin on February 23, 2021 with 20,000 such attendees and in accordance with anti-Covid-19 health checks. Its success may determine whether MWC 2021 will return to something like "normality" this year.

A new leak from Twitter has shed some light on several OnePlus 9 specs. The smartphone will feature a 6.5-inch FHD+ screen clocked at 120Hz, a 4,500mAh battery, 48MP and 12MP camera sensors and more. It is also expected to support 65W fast charging and 8K 30 FPS video recording.

Lenovo has announced the 2021 Yoga 5G laptop that will operate on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 compute platform. A few initial specs have been offered up in regard to this upcoming second-generation Snapdragon-powered Lenovo Yoga 5G convertible laptop, including that it will feature a 60 Wh battery.