Chinese Tech

HMD Global has unveiled the Nokia 1.3's successor, the Nokia 1.4. It comes with a 6.5-inch HD+ screen, two rear cameras, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 SoC, up to 3GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and a 4,000mAh battery. It will retail at €99 (US$119) and will be available for purchase globally soon.

The Dimensity 1100 is an SoC MediaTek has introduced as a one-step-down option from its new flagship, the 1200. The OEM Vivo is rumored to be one of the first, if not the first, to produce a phone based on it. According to a new leak, it is called the S9 and will debut on March 6, 2021.

Huawei may brag that HarmonyOS 2.0 is a 'brand-new distributed operating system', but Ars Technica has discovered that the company is telling porkies. Instead, HarmonyOS 2.0 is nothing more than a renamed EMUI 11, and one that Harmony requires a passport or a driving licence to try out.

The Huawei Watch GT 2e has received a new feature courtesy of its latest software update. Huawei also claims that the update improves system stability and fixes some known issues that the Watch GT 2e had.

According to Digital Chat Station, the Redmi K40 series will be launching this month as three models in China and India. Lu Weibing continues to hype the Redmi K40 series too, having now claimed that it will have the best flat screen of any smartphone released in 2021.

Digital Chat Station has lifted the lid on the Mi 11 Ultra, the successor to August's Mi 10 Ultra. Apparently, Xiaomi will equip the Mi 11 Ultra with a 2K and 120 Hz display, along with a much larger battery than it included in the Mi 10 Ultra. The Mi 11 Ultra will supposedly support up to 67 W wireless charging too.

The OPPO Find X3 Pro has allegedly been spotted tearing up benchmarks prior to its March 2021 launch. Its latest leak allegedly comes directly from a cloud-testing website belonging to its OEM. It seems to affirm the screen resolution, SoC, RAM and OS associated with this premium phone.

The brand POCO has certified a new device with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and a number of other regulators. There is some evidence that this phone will be revealed as the Pro version of the X3 on its launch. To date, most of its specs remain a mystery, however, although its leaks point to NFC support, at least.

A few specifications of the upcoming Xiaomi Black Shark 4 and the Asus ROG Phone 4/5 have leaked online. While it is common knowledge that these gaming phones will be powered by the Snapdragon 888, we are now getting to know a few additional specs of these devices including the dimensions, battery capacity, fast charging, and display resolution.

Chuwi has introduced a new Android tablet, the SurPad. The 10.1-inch device has 4 GB of RAM and a MediaTek Helio P60 SoC, along with support for a detachable keyboard and an active stylus. The Chuwi SurPad starts at US$249 and has an 8,000 mAh battery.

The Mate X2's launch has been anticipated for some time, even with its maker Huawei's trade-war woes. A new post from a Weibo-based leaker assures the public that the device will debut "soon", with the 5nm chipset, design and features one might expect from a 2021 premium foldable phone.

The OnePlus Nord N1 5G is on its way, according to Max Jambor. The Nord N1 5G will succeed the Nord N10 5G, a device that OnePlus launched late last year. OnePlus is expected to release the OnePlus 9E this year too, which may leave no room for a follow-up to the OnePlus Nord.

A well-known Chinese leaker has ignited speculation about Xiaomi releasing a new mid-range smartphone with an unreleased Snapdragon 7 series chipset. Possibly the Mi 11 Lite 5G, the device is said to feature a Snapdragon 775G, along with an OLED screen, a 64 MP primary camera and a 5x zoom lens.

Not only will Xiaomi unveil the Mi 11 globally on February 8, but it will also reveal the latest version of MIUI. MIUI 12.5 should initially reach at least 28 devices across Xiaomi's Mi and Redmi series. Xiaomi promises that MIUI 12.5 will be faster and smoother than MIUI 12, too.

The Xiaomi Mi A2 has received another security patch update, bringing the Android One handset onto the January patch. The Mi A2 will remain on Android 10 indefinitely, but security patch updates should be headed its way until the summer.

After rolling out the Android 11 update to the Poco X2 and Mi Note 10 Lite last month, Xiaomi is now seeding a similar update to the popular Redmi Note 9S. The update is based on MIUI 12, as expected, and is slowly arriving for global versions of the phone.

Xiaomi has seeded a new update to the Mi A3, bringing the device onto the January security patch. The update, which the company has based on Android 11, also contains a working screen recorder. V12.0.4.0.RFQMIXM is rolling out as an OTA now for all devices on the global branch of Xiaomi's Android One program, including those that have already been upgraded to Android 11.

The POCO M3 is the global version of the impressively successful Redmi Note 9 4G/LTE that launched in China in 2020. Now, it is finally coming to India, and in its 6GB RAM flavor no less, whereas it sells as a 4GB phone in some other markets. It will launch via Flipkart in February 2020.

Those who want a custom ROM for their Xiaomi Mi A1 close to Google's stock offering will probably enjoy ShapeShiftOS. For me, the lack of OTA updating, the stability issues that I bumped into, as well as the rather basic customization options make this piece of code unusable as a daily driver.

The tipster WHYLAB now claims that the newly-hyped ZTE Axon 30 Pro will launch with a new image sensor called the S5KGND. This, apparently, is Samsung's rumored new 200MP sensor, possibly the most powerful of 2021. It is projected to support 16K recording, dual pixel-binning modes and dual native ISO.

Xiaomi has lodged a complaint with a US court against the same country's government for placing it on an investment blacklist earlier in 2021. The company asserts that the action against it is unwarranted, as it is based on an association with the Chinese military which (according to Xiaomi) does not in fact exist. This, in turn, has apparently affected its ability to do business in the electronics market as usual.

The new US administration has only been in office for nine days, but it is apparently already reconsidering Huawei's position on its economic blacklist. The Chinese company may still be prevented from accessing US telecommunications networks, though.

Xiaomi has already made over US$600 million from Mi 11 sales, and that was just from sales in its home market of China. Now, Xiaomi has announced when the Mi 11 will make its global debut, but it seems that the Mi 11 Pro will not be in attendance.

Huawei has updated its EMUI 11 update plans globally. Not only has the Chinese company finished delivering the OS update to more devices across multiple regions, but it is now more precise in when every eligible handset should receive EMUI 11.

Meizu is expected to launch smartphones with the Snapdragon 888 flagship-grade processor soon. A new leak purports to show one of them (possibly the 18, 18 Pro or 18 Max) with a completely edge-to-edge screen. This suggests it will join the currently very exclusive under-display camera club in 2021.

Xiaomi has just gone public with its working prototype of groundbreaking over-the-air (or remote) wireless charging. However, it seems Motorola is hot on its heels with its own take on this "Mi Air Charge". A YouTube demonstration appears to show it working with 2 modified smartphones placed at 0.8 and 1 meter away from a single transmitter.

Xiaomi has (perhaps prematurely) announced Mi Air Charge technology which delivers 5 W remote wireless charging to devices within several meters of its base station. Although the announcement is exciting, it is currently only vaporware, with no devices shipping from the company in 2021 and no details about when it will hit the market.

A Chinese retailer has hinted that the Xiaomi Redmi K40 series will be purchasable from the middle of next month. We may only be two weeks from the Redmi K40 series' debut though, which may coincide with New Year's Eve in China. Supposed hands-on images of the Redmi K40 Pro have appeared online too, but we are doubtful of their authenticity.

Realme is mostly known for its phones and audio devices; however, like Xiaomi and Huawei before it, it is now rumored to get into the laptop game as well. According to a well-known leaker, the first of these new products will debut in June 2021. Meanwhile, the OEM has teased a new initiative called TechLife, which will launch in February.

MediaTek invented a whole new tier of its high-end mobile chipsets with the introduction of the Dimensity 1100 alongside its outright flagship counterpart the 1200. A new leak indicates that Vivo has a device with this new premium-ish mid-range processor in the works. It is to have 12GB of RAM and an FHD+ display.

The OEM ZTE had a landmark 2020 in that it was first to launch a smartphone with a cutting-edge under-display selfie camera. Now, it has confirmed the existence of a phone with a name that not only sounds like a next generation for the Axon 20, but is a Pro variant as well. It is being hyped as a device with industry-leading cameras.

The Redmi K40 series has been all but confirmed to ship without a charger by default and it appears the Redmi Note 10 series could also tow that path. Redmi executive Lu Weibing has now heavily hinted as much, which could pave the way for budget and mid-range phones to also not ship without a charging brick.

The BMAX MaxPad i10 a budget tablet that runs Android 10 out of the box. The MaxPad i10 also has an LTE modem, two SIM card slots and an eight-core processor paired with 4 GB of RAM.

With the Hi10 XR, Chuwi offers a convertible that supports pen input and a detachable keyboard. Its Celeron N4120 processor should keep things ticking over too, as should its 6 GB of RAM.

The tipster Digital Chat Station claims to have found new premium phones from Meizu on the 3C regulatory website. One might be called the 18 and support 30-watt (W) charging, while the other might be a 40W 18 Pro. However, despite these specs, it is said that the company will follow Apple and Samsung's example in leaving the necessary power bricks out of their retail boxes.

A new Xiaomi patent for an “electronic device” has given an idea of what the heir apparent to the stalled Mi Mix line could look like or what it could feature. The potential Xiaomi Mi Mix smartphone in this patent has a slider mechanism that can be voice activated, and it has a display that wraps over the bottom edge and onto the rear side.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 has gained some new features courtesy of its latest software update, despite its release in October 2019. The latest firmware, which Huawei has called v1.0.11.20, is a 24.11 MB download and is rolling out to smartwatches now.

Xiaomi has submitted another Redmi smartphone with the FCC, the EEC and the TKDN. This time, the M2101K7AG has been certified, which is believed to be the Redmi Note 10. The listings confirm that the M2101K7AG will receive a global launch. Meanwhile, the Redmi General Manager Lu Weibing has begun teasing the launch of the Redmi Note 10 series.

ZTE has launched a new low-cost 5G-ready smartphone. The ZTE Blade X1 5G features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC, four rear cameras, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, NFC, and a 4,000mAh battery. It is exclusive to Visible and costs US$384

Wireless smart tags for possession-tracking seem to be one of the major trends for mobile device OEMs in 2021. According to a new patent application discovered on the CNIPA database, OPPO may be the next to jump onto this bandwagon. Its new Bluetooth tag looks much like that of Samsung's, although there are no indications as yet that the two would work in the exact same way.

Huawei has now blessed owners of the Mate 10 Pro with yet another update after the last one was sent out back in October. The update brings a security patch for some major vulnerabilities, which should gladden the hearts of Mate 20 Pro owners after their phones were delisted from Huawei's update schedule this month.

The DOOGEE S88 Pro stood out among toughphones with its 10,000mAh battery and the "robot-eye" LEDs in its rear panel. The new S88 Plus retains these, but also comes with 8GB of RAM, as opposed to 6GB in its predecessor. It also packs reverse wireless charging so as to share its giant capacity in an emergency, and has a special introductory price for its launch on AliExpress.

Motorola's newest affordable flagship is finally here. The Motorola Edge S comes with an impressive spec sheet that includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset, a 6.7-inch LCD screen clocked at 90Hz, four rear cameras, two selfie cameras, and a 5,000mAh battery that supports fast charging at 20W. It has been launched in China for RMB 1,999 (US$310).

Well-known Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station says that Xiaomi will reportedly relaunch the Mi 10 soon. It will ship with Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon 870 SoC. The remaining Mi 10 specifications will remain identical. Xiaomi could launch the device alongside the Mi 11 Pro in February 2021.

An alleged live photo of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro has been shared on Chinese social media and has been met with something of a lukewarm response so far. The Snapdragon 888 phone has been called “ugly”, with the Mi 11 Pro having a large main camera system housing that stretches over a significant portion of the rear side.

A first leak of Xiaomi Mi Band 6-related specifications has offered up a goldmine of information about the upcoming budget fitness tracker – apart from its release date and probable price. However, Xiaomi’s habits with previous Mi Band launches and the state of the wearables market offer up some useful clues for predictions.

Blackview touted its Dimensity 800-powered BL6000 Pro as the "toughest 5G phone in the world" on its launch. Now, it has an upcoming successor, the BL8000, which upgrades to the Dimensity 1200 - MediaTek's new flagship SoC. This could make the impending device a very powerful rugged phone indeed.

Motorola seems to be carrying on with its new 2021 trend of resort island-based code-names for its upcoming budget phones. The latest of these is apparently the "Ibiza", a device rumored to launch with the new Snapdragon 480 SoC for budget 5G phones. It may also have been registered with the Wi-Fi Alliance, suggesting it will be here soon.

Sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters that Huawei is planning to sell the Huawei P and Huawei Mate line of smartphones to a consortium of investors affiliated with the Shanghai Government. Huawei has denied said report and states that it has no plans of selling any more of its assets.

Redmi general manager Lu Weibing has been hyping up the Redmi K40 smartphone on his Weibo channel. This time around, the executive has posted an image showing two Redmi K40 boxes – a thick one and a thin one. It seems Xiaomi is continuing with its no-charger option in a similar fashion to the launch of the Mi 11.