Chinese Tech

While the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro both use the same 108 MP Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor, the new, improved Mi 10 Ultra sports a lower-res 48 MP sensor made by...OmniVision. There are reasons for that, of course.

The Redmi Note 7 finally received the stable Android 10 update for the European models a few days ago. The update bears the build number "V11.0.1.0 QFGEUXM" and weighs 2.0 GB. Sadly, it also appears to come with a few bugs.

A lot of supposed information about the upcoming Huawei Mate 40 series has been leaked, with more details appearing in regard to the specs of the Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro. A few images of screen protectors for the phones have also been shared, and the alleged prices for three variants of the Huawei Mate 40 Pro have turned up.

The Redmi K30 Ultra is the modern redefinition of value for money and it appears to already be a resounding success for Xiaomi, with the company confirming it took 100,000 orders for the device in just one minute when it went on flash sale.

Leaker Digital Chat Station has offered new details about the MateBook X. According to their information, the MateBook X will have a 13-inch display and a FreeTouch trackpad, which will replicate the feel of Apple's Force Touch trackpads. The MateBook X is said to weigh around 1 kg too and will arrive on August 19.

Recently, evidence of 2 new mobile devices from the OEM OPPO associated with a novel Qualcomm code-name surfaced on the Geekbench database. Now, both of their model numbers have reportedly appeared on those of several national regulators, one of which is the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This suggests they may launch soon in various regions, the US included.

Xiaomi has started upgrading three more devices to MIUI 12. The Mi 8 Pro, Mi 8 Lite and Mi Max 3 join the dozens of smartphones that have already received Xiaomi's latest OS.

The Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro will be Huawei's latest Kirin-based smartphones, but neither are apparently launching in Europe anytime soon. Instead, Huawei plans to bring mid-range and entry-level smartphones to market like the Mate 40 Lite, along with laptops like the Honor Hunter and Honor MagicBook Pro.

Xiaomi has unveiled its latest ultrabook, the RedmiBook Air 13. The laptop features a 2.5K display with an 89% screen-to-body ratio, 512 GB of storage and up to 16 GB of RAM. The RedmiBook Air 13 also has a 41 Wh battery and starts at CNY 4,899 (~US$705) with 8 GB of RAM. The cheapest 16 GB SKU costs CNY 5,199 (~US$750), though.

The TENAA has certified the ZTE A20 5G, better known as the first smartphone with an under-screen camera. The rest of its hardware is not to be sniffed at either, like its 6.92-inch OLED panel, its 64 MP primary rear-facing camera and its octa-core SoC. The ZTE A20 5G will be available with up to 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of expandable storage too.

The Redmi G is Xiaomi's latest gaming laptop, and one that is available in three configurations. The device starts at CNY 4,999 (~US$720), which nets you an Intel Core i5-10200H processor and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU. Xiaomi offers up to a Core i7-10750H and a GTX 1650 Ti for its gaming laptop though, along with a 144 Hz and 16.1-inch IPS display. All models come with 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD.

The MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ in the new Redmi K30 Ultra has been put through a battery of tests alongside the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 and the HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G chips. The Dimensity 1000+ proved to be an affordable processing champion by surpassing the Kirin 990 nearly every time and nipping at the heels of the SD 865 in most cases.

A report suggests that the Redmi K30 Ultra and Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra will be exclusive to China. A Xiaomi representative has confirmed that the company doesn't plan on selling either handset internationally, even as a Poco device.
A Xiaomi executive has hinted that there could be a future wider release.

Redmi has officially revealed the latest laptop in its lineup: the Redmi G. The gaming laptop has featured in a few promo images, although no confirmed specifications have been offered up yet apart from that the Redmi G will be powered by Intel processors. Unfortunately, the Chinese OEM has fitted the laptop’s webcam in a suboptimal position.
Some display specs have started leaking out.

Android 10 has reached the Xiaomi Redmi 8 in Europe after similar rollouts for the global edition of the device. The Redmi Note 7 has received the same upgrade in Russia too, while MIUI 12 has been re-released for the Redmi Note 9 globally.

Honor has confirmed last month's leak concerning its first gaming laptop. To be marketed under its Hunter brand, the laptop is supposedly inspired by the design of modern supercars. Presumably, Honor will deck out the laptop with AMD Renoir APUs, too.

The Mele PCG02 is a compact PC stick that has plenty of connectivity despite its size. The device connects to external monitors and TVs via an HDMI 2.0 port, and is based on the Intel Celeron J4105 Gemini Lake processor. The Mele PCG02 also has 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, a 64 GB eMMC drive, Gigabit Ethernet and Windows 10 Pro.

With the US-China trade war showing no signs of abating, more companies are looking to rely less on the Chinese supply chain. More evidence of that emerged today with Foxconn Chairman, Young Liu, saying that the China’s role as the global manufacturing hub is over.

The Poco F2 Pro received the stable MIUI 12 update a few weeks ago, and it appears the update broke an important feature. Owners of the Poco F2 Pro running the build "MIUI 12.0.1.0" have complained about the lack of Widevine DRM L1 support, with their phone now unable to stream HD content from platforms like Netflix.

Huawei has updated its EMUI 10.1 upgrade plans in seven regions. The Android 10-based OS should now have now reached almost-all eligible devices in Central Asia, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Japan and Russia.

Xiaomi has unveiled MIUI 12 for India. Announced in a livestream, the company has confirmed that it will start by upgrading 7 devices to its latest OS in the country. It seems to have forgotten that it began rolling out MIUI 12 to handsets in India months ago, though.

Apple and Samsung have secured first and second positions in terms of smartphones shipped in the US for the second quarter of 2020, with Apple doing especially well by shipping a domestic record of 15 million iPhones. However, around 70% of the total smartphones shipped in the US in that quarter were made in China.

The Realme X50 was one of the first phones to rock the Snapdragon 765G, thus also making it among the first 5G phones of 2020. Now, there is evidence that a version of the same without this connectivity may launch in Singapore. This is in accordance with a new leak from Twitter.

BMW is lending its name to the first iQOO phone to feature this OEM's latest, 120 watt (W) form of charging. At least, this is the impression given by a new poster alleged to be an official teaser for its upcoming launch event. The 2 brands are also now partners in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) racing series.

A new report claims that Huawei's in-house processor can compete with the Intel Core i9-9900K. Called the Kunpeng 920 3211K, the processor will be available in China in a pre-built desktop PC.

A Weibo tipster claims that Huawei’s “Tashan” semiconductor project will start all the way at the top with experimental 45nm silicon, built using fully indigenous technology. The post indicates that a 45nm Huawei part, likely built in collaboration with a Chinese fab, will be ready within one year.

Xiaomi has expanded the release of its latest OS for the Poco F2 Pro and Redmi Note 9. MIUI 12 has now reached the Redmi Note 9 in India and is available for more POCO F2 Pro handsets in Indonesia. The two devices have already received MIUI 12 in other regions, too.

Huawei is on the verge of releasing a new MateBook X, just six months on from unveiling the current model in Barcelona. The new edition will arrive on August 19 with a 3K display and impossibly-thin display bezels. The device will weigh considerably less than its predecessor too.

Move over, punch-holes, under-display cameras may be here soon. However, they are not to be premiered by OPPO or Huawei as previously thought, but by another smartphone OEM: ZTE. Its CEO has just revealed that it will be first to this tech, although no specific date for this event was mentioned.

The Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra is living up to its hype by immediately going to the top of the DxOMark charts. The device has hit the number one position for both its still camera performance and its video performance.

Xiaomi has made the MIUI 12 Global stable ROM for the Redmi Note 8 Pro available as part of a wider rollout. The software update for the Global variant of the Redmi Note 8 Pro had already been partially rolled out but now everyone with this particular model should soon find an update notification awaiting them.

After the release of the 65-inch Mi TV Master Series last month, Xiaomi is back with its second OLED TV yet. The new Mi TV Lux OLED Transparent Edition is, well, transparent, and probably does a great job of looking really cool. If you can afford the US$7,200 MSRP, that is.

Xiaomi has officially announced that a new MIUI 12 beta stable update has started being pushed out for the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro and Redmi K20 Pro testers in Europe. The software version is V12.0.2.0.QFKEUXM and will only be available to users who have been assigned with testing duties.

The Mate X and Mate Xs may stand out from the crowd, but rumour has it that Huawei has scrapped their outwards folding design for this year's model. Instead, the Mate X2 will feature an inwards folding display like Samsung's Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G. The Mate X2 will have a second screen too, along with a huge battery, four cameras, 65 W charging and multiple storage configurations.

Xiaomi has just revealed the new Ninebot GoKart Pro Lamborghini Edition with yellow coloring, rear spoiler, and custom tires. The Lamborghini Edition of the Ninebot GoKart Pro can manage a top speed of 40 km/h (~25 mph), comes with a 432 Wh battery pack, and it will apparently go on sale with a price tag of 9,999 yuan (US$1,440).

Xiaomi has now launched its newest value champion. The Redmi K30 Ultra offers an excellent display, performance, and all-round impressive specifications and features at an unbeatable price point of under US$300 in China.

Xiaomi has started issuing the Android 10 update to some Redmi Note 7 Pro handsets in India. The update is based on MIUI 11 rather than MIUI 12 and contains the July security patch. The rollout of MIUI 12 has been expanded for the Mi Note 10 and Redmi Note 8 Pro, though.

TCL has announced the latest generations of its 5- and 6-series TVs. The former has upgraded to QLED in 2020, whereas the latter now has high-end, high-density mini-LED backlighting. Both new lines have 4K resolutions and have up to 75-inch options.

Xiaomi has now launched the new Mi 10 Ultra. The phone offers several improvements over the Mi 10 Pro, especially in the departments of display, cameras, charging speeds. In typical Xiaomi fashion, however, it's reasonably priced, starting under US$800 in China in spite of the premium hardware it offers.

The Pocophone F1 has started receiving MIUI 12, albeit on the Mi Pilot program. The update is available to the global version of the device and is rolling out in batches. According to Xiaomi, the global stable MIUI 12 update for the Pocophone F1 could arrive within a matter of days, contrary to previous information that the company provided.

Xiaomi has now started sending out the August security patch to its Android One phones, starting with the Mi A3. The update is seeding to global models of the device and weighs just 33 MB while promising to offer bug fixes.

Xiaomi's hotly-anticipated 10th-anniversary edition of the Mi 10 - or Mi 10 Ultra, according to the latest rumors - is expected to drop today (August 11, 2020). A down-to-the-wire leak purports to unbox this phone on camera beforehand, however. The video appears to confirm many primary specs of the impending super-flagship.

The MIUI 12 stable rollout for Xiaomi devices in China included in the third batch or phase of the company’s update roadmap could begin by October depending on how the second-batch rollout progresses. Smartphones that are part of the third batch include the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, Mi 8 SE, Redmi 7, and Redmi Note 8.

A leak has revealed Huawei's plans to release a smartwatch called the Watch Fit. Branded as the HUAWEI Watch FIT, the device will feature a 1.64-inch AMOLED panel, a host of sensors and 5 ATM water resistance. The Watch Fit will retail for €119 and will be available from September in four colours.

Xiaomi has officially announced that a Redmi Note 8 Pro Special Edition smartphone is coming, no doubt to coincide with the Chinese company’s impending anniversary celebrations. Fans of the company have been asked to guess what color the special edition variant of the Redmi Note 8 Pro will come in.
The new color for the Redmi Note 8 Pro is Coral Orange.

The Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra flagship smartphone will soon be officially unveiled and yet another price leak concerning the high-end device has turned up online. A third-party retailer apparently has the Mi 10 Ultra prepared for sale at a price of 6,999 yuan (US$1,005), which points to a very high price tag if the smartphone is released outside of China.

Hisense has revealed that it is to become known as a partner to Paris St-Germain worldwide. This means its brand will become officially associated with the famous French soccer club, and that its products will be marketed during relevant games. Furthermore, the OEM will furnish this team's technological considerations.

Huawei is planning to run its in-house HarmonyOS all of its future devices. A company executive confirmed that a smartwatch running the software is due to be released later this year. HarmonyOS will eventually make its way to Huawei's upcoming tablets, laptops, and even smartphones.

The Mi 10 Ultra has appeared on Geekbench before its release tomorrow. The device has been benchmarked with a Snapdragon 865 Plus and 8 GB of RAM, but Xiaomi is thought to equip the device with 12 GB and 16 GB of RAM too. Images of official-looking cases have leaked online too, as has a hands-on image that should raise eyebrows.

The Mi Mix 3 5G is finally receiving a new update after months out in the cold. The new OTA brings the update with build designation "MIUI V10.3.26.0.PEMEUVF", which denotes that it's for the Vodafone EU models. This update is the July security patch and is a 496 MB download.