Chinese Tech

With the i7book, Alldocube has set its sights on creating a compact laptop with an aluminium chassis and a minimal design. However, its Core i7-6600U processor is a blast from the past.

OLED TVs cost stacks of cash anyway, but Xiaomi's transparent Mi TV Lux takes it up a notch. Costing around US$7,000, the Mi TV Lux looks brilliant, but its showstopper design is held back by its 1080p resolution and its limited connectivity.

After sending out the highly awaited MIUI 12 update to the European version of the Redmi Note 9S, Xiaomi has now expanded the rollout by sending a similar update to the global variant of the device. The Mi A3 also happens to be receiving the October security patch.

Hacking Google apps and services have returned to Honor and Huawei devices, courtesy of Googlefier. The workaround can bring Google Mobile Services to devices like the Mate 30 Pro and P40 Pro.

Redmi is set to add a new member to the K30 series tomorrow, albeit in China only. However, the rest of the world has apparently already seen this phone, as it is a rebranded Mi 10T. Nevertheless, it is projected to sell for prices in keeping with its budget-friendly flagship-killer kin.

OnePlus' two new low-cost smartphones are now up for grabs in Europe. The OnePlus Nord N10 5G comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 SoC, a quad-camera array, a 4,300mAh battery, and will cost €329. At €179, the OnePlus Nord N100 gets you a Snapdragon 460n, three rear cameras, and a 5,000mAh battery.

A reported update policy operated by Xiaomi in regard to MIUI and Android upgrades has shown the smartphone series favored by the Chinese OEM and which are more likely to be neglected. The unofficial list reveals that owners of Redmi (not Redmi K), Redmi Note, POCO M, and POCO C smartphones will receive the least upgrades.

Xiaomi is slowly continuing with the MIUI 12 rollout for the Snapdragon 720G-powered arm of the Redmi Note 9 family. The latest devices to receive MIUI 12 are the European variant of the Redmi Note 9S and the Indonesian model of the Redmi Note 9 Pro, keeping with reports from a week ago.

iQOO has launched the uncharacteristically budget U1x smartphone in China. With its Snapdragon 662 SoC, relatively small HD display and 5000mAh battery, it should get a lot of screen-on time, at least. It has debuted alongside a new RAM/storage option for the more premium Dimensity 1000+-powered Z1.

More users of Xiaomi smartphones have been reporting issues with battery drain after installing the MIUI 12 update. The problem had already been mentioned on social media in connection to devices like the Redmi Note 8 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 9, with POCO F1 owners also recently complaining about the hitch. Xiaomi may address the issue with future firmware builds.

Xiaomi and Amazfit appear to be preparing an update for a number of their wearables that will allow the devices to take their user’s temperature. The fitness trackers that could end up receiving such a firmware update include the Mi Band 5 and other SKUs from the Mi Band line and the Amazfit Band 5, which comes with blood oxygen level measurement.

ARM's newest Mali-G78 GPU has been tested alongside the Kirin 9000 on a Huawei Mate 40, and the results look alarming. Although the GPU manages to hit 1 TFLOPS under peak load, the accompanying power consumption can go as high as 14W. Its average power usage seems to be around 9W.

A newly unearthed Xiaomi patent depicts an intriguing device with a design that would fit well with a future Mi Mix 4 (or Mi Mix 2021) thanks to a combination of foldable technology and a slider mechanism. It appears Xiaomi is pushing ahead with work on producing a foldable smartphone that will likely feature an external secondary display.

The Xiaomi Mi A2 has received its monthly update, this time called V11.0.15.0.QDIMIXM. The new update brings the October 2020 set of security patches to the Android One handset, along with a few bug fixes. V11.0.15.0.QDIMIXM is rolling out now as an OTA.

MIUI 12 may still be on a limited release for the global version of the Xiaomi Pocophone F1. If your device is yet to receive the OS upgrade, then flashing the OTA files manually may do the trick.

Owners of the Redmi Note 7 that operates with the Europe (EEA) MIUI ROM will be pleased to know that there is an Android 10-based MIUI 12 beta stable update now available for that particular smartphone. MIUI 12 for Redmi Note 7 users with the Global, Indonesia, or Russia variant should be coming soon.

After months of waiting, Xiaomi has now started sending out the MIUI 12 update to the Snapdragon 665-powered branch of the Redmi Note 8 series, starting with the Redmi Note 8T. Yes, MIUI 12 is here for owners of the global Redmi Note 8T—and the Redmi Note 8 should follow shortly.

The Xiaomi Fast LCD 24.5-inch Monitor has been launched in China with a regular price tag of 1,499 yuan (US$224), although it is on sale to early-bird purchasers. The gaming-friendly external Fast LCD Monitor promises 144 Hz refresh rate, Full HD resolution, 2 ms GTG response time, HDR400 display, and Adaptive-Sync for reduced tearing and stuttering.

The alleged international prices for the Huami Amazfit GTR 2 and Amazfit GTS 2 smartwatches have been leaked. Although both watches are packed with attractive features such as blood oxygen level measurement and heart-rate monitoring, the prices listed for the Amazfit GTR 2 and GTS 2 still seem quite steep.
Update: The smartwatches will launch in Europe on October 27.

Renowned leaker OnLeaks has lifted the veil off OnePlus' upcoming low-cost smartphones- the OnePlus Nord N100 and Nord N10 5G. The OnePlus Nord N10 5G gets a Qualcomm Snapdragon 690, four rear cameras, and a 4,300mAh battery, while the Nord N100 gets a Snapdragon 460, three rear cameras, and a 5,000mAh battery. OnePlus is expected to launch both phones on October 26.

Huawei's freshly-launched Mate 40 series has, as predicted through leaks, an extra-premium Porsche Design variant. It is accompanied by a similarly customized new smartwatch. This titanium-cased version of the Watch GT 2 has a new "iconic" watch-face, as well as continuous blood-oxygen tracking.

Lenovo has had to remove almost all its products from its German website, because of a patent dispute with Nokia. The Chinese company has supposedly been violating H.264 patents that Nokia holds, resulting in the Finnish company taking out an injunction to freeze Lenovo's online sales.

Huawei's major product launch of today (October 22, 2020) served to announce the Mate 40 phablet series and also several "companion" devices for it. They include the rumored FreeBuds Studio, the first ANC headphones from this line of audio products. In addition, a more compact version of the Sound X speaker made its debut.

Huawei has unveiled its Mate 40 line of smartphones and its latest Kirin 9000 and Kirin 9000E chips. The Huawei Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro come with a triple camera array, while the Mate 40 Pro+ and Mate 40 RS comes with four lenses. All four devices are powered by 4,400mAh batteries that support wired charging at 66W. Prices start at €899 (US$1,062) for the Mate 40 and max out at €2,295 (US$2,713) for the Mate 40 RS (Porsche Design).

Huawei may have just announced the Mate 40 Pro, but it has already stormed to the top of DxOMark's leaderboards. Crowned the new king of main and selfie cameras, it seems that the Mate 40 Pro is new smartphone to purchase if you are a camera junkie - until DxOMark reviews the Mate 40 Pro Plus or Mate 40 RS, that is.

The Mi CC9e and Redmi Note 8 Pro have received new MIUI 12 upgrades spanning several branches of MIUI, but the Redmi 8 and Redmi Note 8 are in no such luck. Instead, the Redmi 8 and Redmi Note 8 have just received security updates in multiple regions, keeping the devices on MIUI 11 for the time being.

Six months after the release of the Redmi Note 9, Xiaomi is set to launch a direct successor. Apparently, though, the new phone may not be named the Redmi Note 10 at all and could opt for something a bit...grand to go with the impressive hardware. Redmi Note X, perhaps?

Huami has launched the Amazfit Pop smartwatch in China for a surprisingly low price: 349 yuan (US$52). The bright and breezy wearable features non-medical grade monitors for blood oxygen saturation, atrial fibrillation, sleep quality, and 24-hour heart-rate monitoring. The Amazfit Pop comes in a choice of three colors and is water resistant.

Huawei has introduced a new health feature to the Watch GT 2 Pro, despite its recent introduction. The update expands the capabilities of the company's latest smartwatch, specifically in relation to its SpO2 sensor.

The PIPO W11 is a budget alternative to the Microsoft Surface lineup, specifically the Surface Go 2. The W11 is still relatively cheap though, thanks to its Gemini Lake processor and 8 GB of RAM.

Apple may have pleased may fans with the release of the iPhone 12 Mini, a rare return to mobile screens of well under 6 inches in size. Therefore, other non-iOS smartphone manufacturers may want to start on their own equally compact flagships, right? Wrong, says eminent leaker Digital Chat Station.

The entire Huawei Mate 40 lineup has been leaked just a day before its October 22 release. The Mate 40 Pro features a triple-camera array; the Mate 40 Pro+ gets an additional telephoto lens and the Mate 40 RS a temperature sensor on top of all that. Prices are expected to start at €1,129 (US$1,340) for the Huawei Mate 40 Pro.

A company insider says that OnePlus is all set to release the OnePlus 9 a full month early. OnePlus is the second company after Samsung that is mulling on an early flagship release in 2021. One can only hope that OnePlus also launches the affordable Nord N100 and Nord 105G alongside its 2021 flagship.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S and Mi Mix 3 users can enjoy the delights of the Android 11 operating system thanks to the release of the ArrowOS 11.0 custom ROMs for those devices. This will be especially handy for those with a Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S smartphone, which was originally released with the Android 8 Oreo software.

Xiaomi has unveiled a new smartwatch, the Mi Watch Color Sports Edition. A lighter and sportier version of the Mi Watch, the Mi Watch Color Sports Edition is also cheaper and retails for CNY 699 (~US$105).

Xiaomi is revamping the packaging of the Mi 10T Lite in Europe by using cardboard instead of plastic. The result should yield up to 60% less plastic used without needing to remove the charger or case from the box, an impressive feat. Xiaomi has, of course, took another opportunity to remind people of Apple's recent decision to do otherwise, though.

The Mi Max 3 and Mi Mix 3 5G have received new MIUI 12 updates, bringing the two devices on Xiaomi's latest OS. The Mi Mix 3 5G still remains on Android 9.0 Pie in Europe on the Vodafone network, but the global and Russian versions of the Mi Max 3 have been upgraded to Android 10 builds of MIUI 12.

Xiaomi has just been granted a patent for a tablet-like device that folds down the middle to form a much thinner phone-like form with an additional display on its front. In other words, it looks and seems to function much like Samsung's first-gen premium foldable phone. Therefore, the Chinese OEM might be on the brink of moving into this category itself.

A social media post by Lu Weibing has led to some speculation that Xiaomi or Redmi could be planning a diminutive variant of a future flagship along the lines of the iPhone 12 Mini. A Xiaomi Mi 11 SE or Redmi K40 Mini would certainly go down well with users looking for a more compact smartphone.

The Xiaomi Mi A1 was released back in September 2017 as Xiaomi's first Android One offering. The Android One program promises just three years of software updates, however, so the Mi A1 has finally reached the end of its official lifespan. "Official" is key, though, as life continues outside the confines of stock software.

OPPO has launched the latest addition to its Enco series of TWS earbuds. They are equipped with a dual-core chipset to control their active noise cancelling (ANC) features. The OEM also describes them as having been developed in partnership with the Danish sound specialist Dynaudio. These new Enco buds are Bluetooth 5.2 and have USB type C charging.

OPPO is a device OEM that has launched Apple Watch-clones in the past. Now, it has unveiled its first smartwatch with a circular face instead. The RX will also run ColorOS Watch 1.5, a new version of the OEM's software for wearables.

Xiaomi has announced plans to bring the Mi 10T series to the UK. The Mi 10T, Mi 10T Pro and Mi 10T Lite will all be available to purchase from multiple retailers, including Amazon and Mi.com. The Mi 10T Lite will start for just £199, too.

OPPO unveiled products new to this OEM during its October 19, 2020 Wisdom Life conference in China. They include its first-ever TVs, which run on a version of ColorOS developed specially for this new category. They have 4K panels, the highest-end of which is also QLED and has a 120Hz refresh rate.

BOE is the largest supplier of display panels (AMOLED included) in China. A new report indicates that it now intends to compete even further with the likes of Samsung by making its own ultra-thin glass (UTG) as well. This material is the most effective existing solution to protect foldable displays, and as such may become more and more important in the future.