Chinese Tech

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is the top-end choice in the new Mi 10T series, and it shows it by having a 108 MP sensor in its main camera system. The Mi 10T Pro also offers configuration options that allow it to have up to 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage, and the 5G smartphone can please gamers with its 144 Hz display and Snapdragon 865 SoC.

An alleged AnTuTu listing of Realme's upcoming Realme Q2 Pro has shown up online. It nets a total score of 519,992, which indicates that it is likely running a MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ SoC. Realme will reportedly unveil the device on October 13 at an event in China.

The Amazfit X is a fitness band-like device that purports to improve on this form factor with a curved screen. Its maker Huami has confirmed that it will be available at its final retail price in the fourth quarter of 2020. However, its units from preceding crowdfunding campaigns have reportedly run into difficulty.

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has effectively confirmed that the OnePlus 8T Pro would not be released this year. The OnePlus 8T will instead be joined by a low-cost alternative, along with other OnePlus-branded smart devices. Industry insiders suggest that OnePlus has up to five products in store for us, unveiled on October 14.

As promised, the world's smallest mini PC with a discrete graphics solution — the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 4 GB GDDR5 — is now available for purchase. With a price tag that reads US$869, the most potent configuration features Intel's Core i7-9700F processor, 16 GB of DDR4 memory, and a 512 GB SSD (with room for adding a 2.5-inch drive).

The Lenovo A-series is a line of often cost-effective smartphones. A leaker asserts that it will get a new addition soon. This is based on a new Geekbench 5 listing for a device with a heretofore-unknown model number with 4GB of RAM, the MediaTek Helio P22 SoC and Android 10.

Realme is reportedly working on another entirely new line of smartphones. The first Realme Q smartphone is billed to support 5G, an AMOLED screen, and 65W fast charging. It is expected to make its debut in China on October 15, and remain exclusive to the market for the foreseeable future.

Xiaomi is officially launching its new Mi 10T series on Wednesday 30 September, and it now seems that the complete specifications for the Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro have been leaked along with some new renders. A Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite is also expected to make an appearance, and price predictions have started coming in thick and fast.

Xiaomi has launched two new 82-inch Mi Master Series smart TVs in China. The 4K model is priced at 9,999 yuan (US$1,466) and comes with a 120 Hz refresh rate and MEMC. The 8K “Extreme Anniversary Edition” utilizes a mini-LED panel and delivers double the brightness of the cheaper TV, and it costs a hefty 49,999 yuan (US$7,326).

Last week, we heard about its arrival. Now, we have some official test results and technical details that make the upcoming MINISFORUM X35G even more tempting, such as a maximum TDP of 25 W that allows the 15 W Intel Core i3-1005G1 processor to perform up to 60% better than usual, but without overclocking.

The prominent tipster _rogame_ has found a new entry on UserBenchmark for a laptop with a Tiger Lake Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB hard-drive. The results do not mention an OEM; however, the leaker insists the upcoming device is from Huawei. Therefore, it may be a high-end Matebook of the future.

Another unofficial Xiaomi Android 11 update list has appeared on Telegram with a few changes worth noting. Both the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra and Redmi 9 have been promoted to apparent internal testing, while it appears no smartphones that were operating on MIUI 9 at launch time will receive Android 11 from Xiaomi.

The latest word on HarmonyOS, Huawei's alternative to Google's AOSP-based Android, was that it would not be available until 2021 at the earliest. Now, a new report claims that the OEM will release the software to developers as early as December 2020 so as to make this happen. The company may also take this opportunity to integrate smartphones into the rest of its device ecosystem.

The new Amazfit Band 5 from Huami is now available to purchase either from Amazon or Amazfit’s US online store. The smart band, which costs US$49.99, provides blood oxygen measurement, Amazon Alexa, the PAI health assessment system, and up to 15 days of battery life with typical usage or 25 days in power-saving mode.

A video clip of the purported MIUI 13 power menu animation has recently been leaked. Along with that, a completely unofficial and somewhat bewildering MIUI 13 eligible device list has been drawn up that includes the practically ancient Redmi Note 4 but forgets about the Xiaomi Mi 9 series and the brand-new Redmi Note 9 range.

Xiaomi looks to be keeping up rather nicely with security patches—at least on some of its phones. After sending out the September update to the Indian model of the Redmi Note 8 Pro, the company is now rolling out the update to the global variants of the Redmi Note 9 and Redmi Note 9 Pro.

Huawei has issued a new round of updates for the Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, P20 and P20 Pro. The new build, called EMUI 10.0.0.180, seeks to deliver system improvements for the four devices as they near the end of software support.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE was released earlier in the week and is already listed for pre-order on stores like Amazon and B&H with a US$599 price tag. Comparatively, the OnePlus 8T and Pixel 5 have been touted to be prices higher than that while also offering worse hardware.

Xiaomi has a special launch coming up in a few days, with the unveiling of the 82-inch Mi TV Master Ultra Edition 8K mini-LED TV with 5G connectivity. It’s claimed this will be the world’s first mass-produced 5G/8K mini-LED TV, and it is very likely the price will reflect the innovative technology utilized.

Xiaomi announced MIUI for TV 3.0 back in July and now it seems some users in China have started receiving the update. MIUI for TV 3.0 offers a new refined layout for the user interface, a selection of viewing modes, and dynamic animation effects that may be limited only to Xiaomi Master Series devices.

After releasing the Redmi Note 9 back in April, Xiaomi is set to launch the Redmi Note 10 series soon. The latest report claims that the Redmi Note 10 or Redmi Note 10 Pro will be powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 750G and could, in fact, be a rebadged Mi 10T Lite in China and/or India.

Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8T owners are not going to be too happy with the latest news about Android 10-based MIUI 12 for their devices. Delays are already expected anyway and now the general manager of Xiaomi Indonesia has claimed that the company is “still testing” the firmware for the Redmi Note 8/8T.

After sending out an update to the Redmi Note 8 last week, Xiaomi is now sending an update to the Redmi Note 8 Pro. This new update delivers the September patch to the Indian model of the Xiaomi best-seller, with the Android One Mi A3 also getting its September update.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S and Redmi Note 9 Pro have received their first MIUI 12 update in India. The OS upgrade should precede equivalents for the global, European, Russian and Turkish branches of MIUI, which are yet to receive Xiaomi's latest OS. The Mi Mix 3 5G has received MIUI 12 globally, too.
Update: MIUI 12 is now being rolled out to more Redmi Note 9S and Redmi Note 9 Pro devices.

Huawei has patented a design for a smartphone that seems to have an under-display selfie camera. However, its other side has an interesting feature: quad sensors in a plus-sign-shaped module. Furthermore, one of the lenses is square, suggesting that it can accommodate cameras for periscope zoom photography.

Details about the sales records for the Xiaomi Mi Band series, both domestic and international, have been shared by Huami’s CEO Huang Wang. The health-focused smart bracelets from the Chinese OEM are the world’s number 1 most-shipped wearable. Rumors about Pro and Lite variants of the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 are still appearing.

The Amazfit GTS 2 from Huami is now official, with the fun but functional smartwatch already on sale in China. The GTS 2 has had a design overhaul from the first generation, with a borderless display and lighter weight included. There’s also a blood oxygen detector, loads of sports modes, and a smart assistant to be found on the new wearable.

MIUI 12 beta and internal testing will be halted between September 30 and October 12, according to a new report. The break in development may also result in a pause to phase three of Xiaomi's MIUI 12 release schedule for devices like older Redmi Note handsets.

The Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro may be cheaper than expected, according to new reports. The Mi 10T will supposedly retail for just €499 in Europe, while the Mi 10T Pro will start at €599.90 with 128 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM. The 256 GB model will set you back €50 more, which would be significantly cheaper than previous claims.

Rumour has it that Xiaomi is working on another Redmi smartphone, the Redmi K30T. The device should be with us before the end of the year and may bear a striking resemblance to the Mi 10T Pro.

A YouTube channel has allegedly posted a video of a heretofore-unreleased Huawei wearable called the Watch GT 2 Porsche Design. It seems much like the rest of its possible series, albeit with a new bezel and boot animation. This may be a sign that such a product will be unveiled alongside the upcoming Mate 40 series.

A new leak suggests that the OnePlus 8T will retail at €599 (US$703) in Europe. It is contradicted by another report, which states that the starting price could be as high as €799 (US$937). OnePlus will officially unveil the device on October 15, so it shouldn't be long before we know for sure.

Both the Xiaomi Mi 8 and Mi 9T (also known as the Redmi K20) have received new custom ROM support that gives owners the chance to try out the Android 11 experience. The Mi 8 might have to camouflage itself as a Google Pixel 4a for this particular venture though.

Chinese company Royole has officially launched the Flexpai 2, its foldable smartphone competitor to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 and the Huawei Mate X. The new device boasts powerful performance and unique display characteristics.

The MIUI 12 rollout for smartphones listed in Xiaomi’s third batch of devices to receive the software update has seemingly commenced. Certain smartphones on the list, such as the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 and Mi Note 3, have already started receiving a stable update of the MIUI 12 ROM in China.

Supposed Geekbench results for the Xiaomi Mi 11 smartphone have appeared online. According to the scores, which might be fake, the future flagship that is possibly slated for an early 2021 launch managed to amply surpass the Xiaomi Mi 10 in both single-core and multi-core tests with the help of its rumored 5nm Snapdragon 875 chip.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro has received a new MIUI 12 update. The update brings the Indian variant in line with the Chinese one, which received Xiaomi's latest OS in July. V12.0.1.0.QFHINXM includes Android 10, too.

Next week, the smallest desktop PC with NVIDIA GeForce 1050 Ti graphics will hit the market. The MINISFORUM H31G will launch with the Intel Core i5 9500F (US$659) and Intel Core i7 9700F (US$799) processors inside, both setups also featuring 16 GB of memory, a 256 GB SSD, and the aforementioned video card.

Realme has officially unveiled a device based on the new Snapdragon 460 processor in Bangladesh. The C17 also has quad rear cameras, a 500mAh battery and a 6.5-inch HD+ display with a 90 hertz (Hz) refresh rate. It is priced at US$200 in its first market.

Xiaomi has finally gotten around to enabling native call recording on the Poco F2 Pro. The feature is available on the global variant of the device and will work from within the default phone app.

Realme has now debuted its latest set of devices for the Indian smartphone market. The trio of the Realme Narzo 20A, Narzo 20, and Narzo 20 Pro start at Rs 8,499 and go all the way up to Rs 16,999 in an attempt to tackle Xiaomi's lineup starting with the Redmi 9A up to the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max.

Huami has been sharing some late details about the upcoming Amazfit GTR 2 and Amazfit GTS 2 smartwatches. Along with a new promo image of the fashionable wearables, Huami has also revealed that the screens of the GTR 2 and GTS 2 have sapphire-level hardness thanks to a special coating.

Another Xiaomi patent has surfaced and this latest one is for a multiple fold flexible smartphone/tablet hybrid. The Chinese OEM has chosen to grace this concept device with two folds, leading it to be dubbed the Xiaomi Mi Z Fold by some sites. The foldable smartphone has some issues though, including its obvious thickness when folded.

Various new Android 11-based custom ROMs have been appearing for a number of Redmi devices, with the especially popular Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8T getting the unofficial Android 11 treatment. The custom ROM for the Redmi Note 9S is in an alpha stage so may not appeal to all users and the aging Redmi Note 5 Pro is covered by LineageOS.

Xiaomi's CEO, Lei Jun, reportedly estimated that his OEM's global operations represented 50% or more of its total revenue at this stage. Speaking at an innovation conference in China, the executive attributed this international success to MIUI. This Android skin started out as a custom ROM, but now exists as multilingual official software found on millions of devices worldwide.

Vivo has announced that it will launch the V20 series of smartphones in Southeast Asia later in September 2020. Some leaks indicate that it will have a Pro variant with the Snapdragon 765G processor. This phone may also have a triple camera with a 64MP main sensor

The FCC has confirmed that Realme will launch its first-ever round wearable, the Watch S Pro, soon. Further similar leaks indicate that there is also a vanilla variant that may debut alongside it. This Watch S may have the same circular case, IP68 rating and heart-rate tracking, but packs a smaller battery.

OPPO has announced what it is calling a smartwatch with "professional"-grade electrocardiography (ECG) features. This is because it has been officially certified as such a device, albeit in China only. This wearable, which looks like the OEM's inaugural Watch, will launch worldwide in September 2020.

Updated custom ROMs based on Android 11 have become available for both the Poco F1 and Xiaomi Mi A2 smartphones. It has already been revealed that neither of these devices was on the list for official OEM support to Android 11, but custom ROM devs have not forgotten Poco F1 and Mi A2 owners.

The Redmi 9i offers a 6.53-inch screen, a 3.5mm jack and a 5000mAh battery for about US$100 in various markets. Now, the OEM has launched another variant of this same phone with more RAM and storage in India. This 9a will go on sale for INR 8299 (~$113) on platforms such as Flipkart soon.