Chinese Tech

Huawei has rolled out a new update to its most-expensive smartwatch, the Watch GT 2 Pro. The update brings plenty of improvements to the device, including the ability to set a password. 11.0.4.22 also optimises the Watch GT 2 Pro in multiple areas.

The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro may have better cameras than their predecessors, but their battery capacities will remain unchanged from last year's models. Thankfully, OnePlus will continue to include chargers with their premium smartphones, unlike Samsung or Apple.

Several Redmi K40 and Redmi K40 Pro specifications have been highlighted via a new leak. Both phones are expected to feature 6.8-inch QHD+ AMOLED screens, a 108MP camera sensor and 30MP selfie cameras. The rear-camera assembly will consist of two lenses sandwiched between two large lenses.

The 3C certification is indicating an imminent release, but initial availability will most likely be restricted to China. Besides the 5G connectivity and 40 W fast charging listed in the 3C certificate, the new Huawei flagship tablet is rumored to feature the Kirin 9000 SoC and bigger 12-inch screens.

The Xiaomi MIUI 12.5 update for eligible smartphones utilizing the Global ROM has been found to offer fewer features and lower system optimization figures than the MIUI 12.5 China ROM. One particular memory-related optimization has a shortfall of -13% for the Global ROM, leading some to call MIUI 12.5 Global a “lite” version of the Android overlay.

Xiaomi has now officially announced its next set of mid-range phones. The Redmi Note 10 series is confirmed to be on the way to the Indian market and could be marketed as mid-range camera heavyweights when it's launched next month.

The Teclast F7 Air is a well-built MacBook 12 clone that suffers from weak hardware, short battery life, and a lackluster screen. If all you want is a beautiful laptop for less than $500, the F7 Air fits the bill. Just be prepared to test your patience.

Xiaomi has already increased the price of the Mi 11 in Germany and Italy, just a day after it announced that the smartphone would start at €749. Now, the Mi 11 costs at least €799 for 128 GB of storage, while the 256 GB edition has seen a €100 jump to €899. Xiaomi has not explained the price increases.

Recently, the approval of a new POCO phone by the FCC led to speculation that it will be the Pro version of the X3 on its launch. Now, the same device has been certified by the Indian BIS authority, as well as SIRIM of Malaysia. Therefore, it might also debut in these markets soon.

More evidence that the Mi 11 Lite will be launching soon has appeared online. Spotted at the Bluetooth SIG this time, the listing confirms that the Mi 11 Lite is the M2101K9AG seen at the BIS and the FCC. According to Max Weinbach, the Mi 11 Lite may be joined by the Mi 11 Pro and the Mi 11 Ultra in Q2 2021, too.

RedMagic is a brand based on Android gaming phones with the specs and design required for players in this arena. However, it is now slated to branch into smartwatches in 2021, something confirmed by a new FCC listing. It is a round-faced wearable with an AMOLED display and heart-rate monitor.

EMUI 11.1 is on the horizon, according to multiple reports. Possibly arriving as early as March 2021 alongside the P50 series, EMUI 11.1 is expected to be the farewell for EMUI 11, with Huawei switching to HarmonyOS after that.

Xiaomi is set to launch its new range of mid-range champions soon, and a teaser video from the company indicates that the phones may be unveiled as soon as tomorrow, February 10, for the Indian market. Concrete specs and features remain unknown, however.

MIUI 12.5 may be faster, lighter and smoother than MIUI 12, but Xiaomi has confirmed that only 16 devices are slated to receive its new OS before Q3 2021. The MIUI 12.5 rollout will not begin until Q2 2021 either, although Xiaomi will eventually bring more devices onto MIUI 12.5 at some stage, but seemingly not before the summer.

Xiaomi has plenty of reason to celebrate today, as it has now sold more than 200 million Redmi Note devices worldwide. According to new data, Xiaomi is now the third-largest smartphone manufacturer globally, and the leading manufacturer in 10 markets.

Another upcoming Black Shark gaming smartphone has leaked, this time on the Google Play Console. The device is thought to be the Black Shark 4 Pro.

Nubia is the latest smartphone OEM to slap its name on a power brick with fancy specs: gallium nitride-based charging with a 65 watt (W) rate and multiple ports in this case. However, it seems Samsung is hot on its heels by certifying a 65W accessory of its own. Could it be meant for the Galaxy Z Fold3?

The Realme RMX2202 is a phone said to be the brand's 2021 flagship smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 888 processor. Therefore, it might prove a mighty rival for Xiaomi's freshly-launched Mi 11. It has popped up on a database run by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), suggesting it will launch soon.

Xiaomi has now brought the Mi 11 to the global market, with a starting MSRP of €749. Unlike the Chinese model, the global Mi 11 ships with a 55 W charger in the box, which should assuage the fears of expectant fans.

Xiaomi left it late with updating the Mi A2 to the January 2021 security patch, but we can have no such complaints this month. V11.0.21.0.QDIMIXM is rolling out now, just a few days after Google updated its Pixel smartphones to its latest security patch. The February 2021 security patch addresses 19 serious or critical CVEs for the Mi A2.

After sending out the Android 11 update to the Indian models of the Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro last week, Xiaomi is now expanding the rollout to include the European models of the devices. The OTA weighs in at 2.8 GB and delivers MIUI 12 based on Android 11.

AnTuTu has published its slightly rejigged price-performance charts for January, and although there are still a dozen spots taken up by Xiaomi and Redmi, there are plenty of strong rivals nipping at their heels. The popular iQOO 7 and Vivo X series phones are making some waves, and there is even space for the Samsung Galaxy S20 series and Galaxy Note20 Ultra.

Xiaomi has revealed great plans for two seemingly almost-forgotten product lines this year, with news that the Mi Mix 4 and a new Xiaomi tablet range (Mi Pad 5) should surface in 2021. A Mi Fold or similarly named Xiaomi foldable phone should also make an appearance, which is why the company’s R&D department is receiving a huge boost.

The Shanghai Municipal and Development Reform Commission has announced US$12 billion in project funding for a new SMIC-owned semiconductor foundry to produce sub-14nm wafers. This is another step towards creating an independent semiconductor industry in China that avoids US sanctions.

Xiaomi will launch the global edition of the Mi 11 flagship smartphone on February 8, 2021. However, this event is overshadowed by rumors of this device's Pro version. Now, a new leak claims that an even more premium Pro+ is also on the way - however, is it confused with the Mi 10 Ultra's successor?

Xiaomi has plenty up its sleeve for tomorrow's global launch event. Not only are the Mi 11 and MIUI 12.5 due to arrive, but so are a 75-inch QLED TV and a Mercedes-AMG F1 special edition of the Mi Electric Scooter Pro 2. Xiaomi has hinted that three Mi 11 smartphones will be available, too.

After launching a trio of updated Redmi Note 9 series devices towards the end of 2020, Xiaomi is finally set to release the Redmi Note 10 series. The phones are expected to be priced aggressively, especially in India. Specifics remain unknown, however.

Hands-on photos of the OnePlus 9 Pro have leaked, a month ahead of the flagship's expected launch. The leak not only confirms the device's design, but also that OnePlus has partnered with Hasselblad on the OnePlus 9 series.

The Android 11-based version of the popular Pixel Experience ROM is now finally available for the Xiaomi Mi A1 with the February 2021 security patch in tow. Although we are talking about another Beta release, this ROM is stable enough and has almost everything it needs to be used on a daily basis.

Vivo's premium sub-brand iQOO is now rumored to have a new headliner for its Neo smartphone series ready to launch in March 2021. With its alleged Snapdragon 870 processor and up to 88W charging speed, it is also now depicted as a potential flagship killer - especially if it emerges with the bargain prices that have become a hallmark of its predecessors.

A post made by the Xiaomi Company on Weibo has increased the likelihood of the Mi Mix 4 being released this year. Although no specs or images of the successor to the innovative Mi Mix line are presented, it does seem likely that the company CEO himself is almost ready to announce the Xiaomi Mi Mix 4.

A financial blogger on Chinese social media has posted various images of Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series laptops being used for cryptocurrency mining. The rigs on show involve dozens of gaming notebooks stacked up just for hunting down some increasingly valuable Ethereum. Some of the laptops visible are RTX 3060 machines that cost around US$1,000.

A new leak suggests that Motorola will launch the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480-powered Motorola Ibiza (Moto G40) in India first. It is slated for a February 2021 release, and will likely be unveiled alongside the similarly-specced Moto G10 and Moto G30.

POCO's Indian division has announced that it has now sold 1 million units from its X series. It is also marking its first anniversary of "independence" from its original parent Xiaomi with a sale on Flipkart. This event involves deals such as 25% off a new C3, and runs until February 7, 2021.

Xiaomi launched a 65-watt (W) power brick in late 2020. Now, it has submitted a newer one rated for slightly faster 67W charging to the TUV safety-testing authority. This has led to speculation that it is intended to accompany the global version of the new Mi 11 flagship phone on its February 8, 2021 launch.

A new leak has told us everything we need to know about Motorola's upcoming budget smartphones, the Motorola Capri and the Motorola Capri Plus. The former will be launched as the Moto G10, while the latter will go by Moto G30. Both devices are expected to come with three rear cameras, an HD+ screen, and a dedicated Google Assistant button.

Xiaomi has posted an incredible video clip of its new concept smartphone that has a quad-curved waterfall display and no ports thanks to a unibody design. While many fans seem to enjoy the aesthetic appeal of the Xiaomi concept phone, it seems more likely it would be a Mi Mix Alpha 2 than a Mi Mix 4.

Reports out of China have stated that Xiaomi has started blocking the installation of Google Mobile Services (GMS) from some of its smartphones that operate with the China ROM firmware. Previously, users in China had been able to install the Google apps, but some with devices running on MIUI 12.5 have found this is no longer possible.
Xiaomi has clarified the GMS situation with an official statement.

The Xiaomi Mi 10 2021 New Year Edition phone has turned up in some marketing images posted by the official Xiaomi account on Chinese social media. There is a good look at both the likely Snapdragon 870-powered Mi 10 from the rear and the phone’s box, and a price tag is also revealed: 3,399 yuan (US$525/€439).

Motorola's upcoming budget 5G smartphone called the Motorola Ibiza has just shown up on Geekbench. It very likely running a Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 chipset and manages to score 2,466 and 6,299 in Geekbench 4's single and multi-core test. The smartphone also has 6GB of RAM and is running Android 11.

The OPPO Find X3 Pro is an upcoming 2021 flagship phone depicted as having iPhone-esque rear cameras set in a smooth, probably glass, casing. These esthetics have surfaced again in what the leaker Evan Blass has presented as real live images of the device. Blass has also supplied new levels of details on its sensors and their specs.

MIUI 12.5 will debut in a few days, with Xiaomi billing it as smoother, faster and lighter than MIUI 12. The incremental OS update is not guaranteed to reach the Pocophone F1 though, despite being Xiaomi's poster child less than three years ago.

The Mi 11 will make the trip from China to the global market on February 8, and it appears that the most important question about that launch event has now been answered. Going by new information, the Mi 11 could launch in Europe with a base price tag of €799, just like the Mi 10.

The Xiaomi Mi 10i is proving popular in India, where it has already been purchased almost 200,000 times. The Mi 10i starts at INR 20,999 (~US$288), for which Xiaomi includes 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage to complement the device's 108 MP primary camera and 120 Hz display.

It remains to be seen if Xiaomi will launch a Mi Mix Alpha 2, but a recent patent filing suggests that the company is working towards releasing another smartphone with a wraparound display. A new patent has revealed that Xiaomi may return to notches, too.

A potential Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 or Mi Mix Fold with under-display camera technology could end up with a price tag of 10,000 yuan (US$1,548/€1,289). Xiaomi’s CEO, Lei Jun, has asked his followers on Weibo if they would be willing to buy a phone at that price and what it should feature. A Xiaomi foldable phone and a Mi Mix successor are expected to appear at some point this year.

After gracing the Redmi Note 9S with the Android 11 update days ago, Xiaomi has now set its sights towards the Mi 10T series, with the Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro currently receiving the Android 11 update in India. The OTA is a 2.8 GB download and is being sent out randomly at the moment.

The January 2021 update has brought new features and improvements to the Huawei Watch Fit, one of the Chinese company's cheaper smartwatches. The Watch Fit can now measure SpO2 levels periodically and manually split workout routines, among other changes. The update is rolling out now via the Huawei Health app.

Huawei is rumored to launch a new foldable phablet called the Mate X2 soon. According to a new render, it will be a considerable departure from its predecessor in that it will have a design quite like that of its probable main rival, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2. Then again, it might manage to avoid the multiple central punch-holes seen in that device.