Chinese Tech

Amidst rumors of the cancellation of Xiaomi's Android One Mi A-series, the company is still judiciously supporting its current Android One lineup. The Mi A2 Lite has now received the July update, with the 180 MB download promising to provide much-needed bug fixes.

The Mi 8 Pro is set to receive its inaugural MIUI 12 update this week, according to Xiaomi. The company has pulled back MIUI 12 for the Poco X2 because of bugs though and has suggested that the Pocophone F1 may not receive its latest OS until September at the earliest.

Xiaomi recently announced its smart Door and Window Sensor 2 for the Chinese market. The US$7 smart sensor carries forward the tech giant’s kitchen sink approach to tech releases, from premium TV and midrange phones all the way down to single-function IoT devices.

Huawei has lost access to new mobile processors as normal, thanks to the mandatory end of partnerships with crucial suppliers such as TSMC. Now, the CEO of its consumer-facing unit, Yu Chendong, has acknowledged that the company will soon see its last shipments of these vital components in 2020. He has admitted this is "a very big loss" for the company.

The Mi Mix series is a line of premium devices marked by experimental features in the works at the smartphone OEM Xiaomi. For example, its Alpha variant has a stand-out wrap-around display. However, the company's CEO, Lei Jun, has just dashed hopes of it ever coming to market, let alone any kind of new Mix generation in 2020.

A Xiaomi Mi 10i device has been spotted in MIUI 12 code that could indicate a new release is on the cards for the Indian market. It’s possible that the mystery Mi 10i smartphone will actually end up being a rebranded Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite, which was released in April of this year for other markets.

There is a rumor that Redmi is developing a new laptop that could be offered as a RedmiBook gaming laptop due to the standard of the Comet Lake processor apparently chosen for it. It has been stated that an as-of-yet unreleased Intel Core i5-10200H mobile chip would be used for the gaming-centric RedmiBook.

New case leaks may reveal how a pair of Huawei phones called the Enjoy 20 and 20 Plus may look ahead of their launch. They may both have triple rear cameras, housed in a square module for the former and a round one for the latter. The Plus variant also has a feature that is getting rare in 2020: a motorized front-facing camera.

Realme has updated some of its phones' sales listings in India with new color options. The devices in question are far from the OEM's newest offerings: therefore, this change may reflect how well they are selling, or need to sell in the immediate future, perhaps. The C3 is an example of these chosen few.

Xiaomi released the 65-inch Mi TV Master Series last month and is set to follow it with yet another premium OLED TV. Not much has been revealed so far but word on the grapevine implies a much larger TV, with an accompanying premium in pricing.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S and Mi Mix 3 users in China have been reporting receiving a stable update for MIUI 12 on their smartphones. This indicates that the global, European, and Indian releases of the MIUI 12 stable update ROM for these two Mi Mix smartphones should take place over the coming weeks.

After weeks of waiting, the stable MIUI 12 update is finally seeding to the Poco X2 in India. The Redmi K30-based phone is getting the OTA with build number "MIUI 12.0.1.0 QGHINXM" and an 813 MB file size.

The Mi 10 Ultra is shaping up to be quite the flagship smartphone. According to leaked specifications, Xiaomi will equip the device with a Snapdragon 865+ chipset, along with up to 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. The Mi 10 Ultra also appears to have four rear-facing cameras, 120x zoom capabilities and could be the first device with a selfie camera underneath its display. Xiaomi is thought to be launching the Mi 10 Ultra in two colours. Prices for it and the Redmi K30 Ultra have been offered too, but these seem unlikely.

An apparent image of the upcoming Huami Amazfit Neo smartwatch has been leaked, revealing a design language that is not entirely dissimilar to that of the rugged Amazfit Ares smartwatch. No specifications for the Amazfit Neo have been unearthed yet, but it should appeal to those after a sportier-looking smart wearable.

Reddit, one of the most popular social media sites on the Internet, suffered a major breach. The hackers, whose identities and affiliations are currently unknown, used hacked moderator accounts to post strangely worded pro-Trump messages. Many of the compromised subreddits boast over one million members.

Code relating to second-generation Amazfit smartwatches from Huami has been discovered along with a small detail about a potentially new product. Codenames for the devices were found in code for the Zepp 4.8.9 app and appear to relate to successors of the well-received Huami Amazfit GTS and Huami Amazfit GTR.

The number of devices that have started receiving MIUI 12 has grown to 48. A detailed list outlines which devices have been upgraded to Xiaomi's latest OS, and on which branches of MIUI too.

The stable MIUI 12 update has started being issued to the Redmi Note 7 Pro outside of India. It is bad news for the Pocophone F1 though, as Xiaomi has delayed its planned OS upgrade once again.

The Redmi K30 Ultra will be arriving a few days earlier than expected. Instead of its rumoured August 14 launch date, the Redmi K30 Ultra will be unveiled alongside the Mi 10 Ultra on August 11. The device, also called the Redmi K30 Extreme Commemorative Edition, will feature the MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ SoC and up to 12 GB of RAM.

Xiaomi is set to launch the Mi 10 Pro+ on August 11. The phone has now also been referred to as the Mi 10 Ultra, and is tipped to "shock the world". As expected, this should see it take on the new Galaxy Note 20 Ultra while being quite a bit cheaper too.

The Realme X3 Pro is a phone that has been shrouded in mystery, not to mention uncertainty as to whether a device of this name will even see a launch event this year. Some leaks have thrown up more new model numbers associated with this brand with possible specs that may yet fit the bill.

Redmi has shown itself to be the clear champion of AnTuTu’s latest price-performance charts. Not only does the Xiaomi subsidiary top three of the charts, but it also has a total of 11 devices appearing in the five tables. Only the iQOO Z1 manages to disturb Xiaomi and Redmi’s dominance in leading each chart.

The Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro has picked up the MIUI 12 upgrade. The device remains on Android 9.0 Pie for some reason, though. Additionally, Xiaomi has started upgrading the Mi 10 to its latest OS in Russia.

The XCY X51 is a mini-PC and an incredibly small one at that. Based on the Intel Celeron N4100, the X51 features 8 GB of RAM, a 128 GB M.2 2242 SSD and a host of ports. The 62 x 62 x 42 mm device weighs 121 g and can be purchased for US$179.

The Ovisen S201 is reminiscent of many cheap smartwatches, but it has a trick up its sleeve. Unusually, Ovisen has integrated a pair of wireless earbuds that charge from within the body of the smartwatch.

Xiaomi has announced that the rollout of the China ROM of the MIUI 12 stable update should be completed by the end of September for second-batch smartphones, including the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE, Mi 8, Redmi Note 8 Pro, and Redmi Note 7. The global and India MIUI 12 rollouts should follow shortly afterwards.

A patent filed by Wingtech has revealed a smartphone that could possibly end up being the long-rumored Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 or Mi Mix 2020. The images in the filing show a device with a wraparound display while the main camera issue has been solved via a pop-up unit. The Mi Mix 4 is expected to feature an innovative design.

The OnePlus Nord was released a short while ago and it appears OnePlus has another mid-range smartphone in the pipes. A Snapdragon 690-powered OnePlus phone was spotted a few weeks ago, and a different such offering from the company has once again surfaced on a Geekbench listing.

After sending out the global beta stable MIUI 12 update to the Redmi Note 9 last week, Xiaomi has now blessed the European model of the phone with a similar update. The update bears the build number "MIUI 12.0.1.0 QJOEUXM" and is a 538 MB download.

The NucBox will be one of the smallest 4K-cable mini PCs you can find when it hopefully launches later this year. Specs-wise, it's looking to be an upgrade from the Chuwi Larkbox in terms of CPU performance, WLAN, and RAM.

Yet another Xiaomi smartphone patent has seen the light of day and this latest effort features a surprising modular approach. The Xiaomi device detailed in this particular patent comes with a detachable display, although the purpose behind being able to remove the screen seems somewhat unclear.

iQOO recently unveiled the next-gen 120 watt (W) version of its FlashCharge system for smartphones. Now, it has announced an August 2020 launch date for an entirely new line of mobile devices. One of these is likely to be the first to feature the ultra-fast new power tech.

The stable MIUI 12 update has arrived for the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro in Europe, a few days after an equivalent one for the Mi 10 arrived. Xiaomi has also begun upgrading the Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A to Android 10 globally.

Xiaomi is set to launch its new flagship phone, the Mi 10 Pro+, this month. The phone could be launched as soon as August 11, and a bunch of relevant information on the phone's abilities has now surfaced, hinting at a potential match-up with the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

POCO's product-marketing manager and global spokesperson, Angus Kai Ho Ng, has posted a tweet suggesting that the brand will soon release a phone that will be worth passing the OnePlus Nord over for. This suggests the device in question is a mid-ranger that may offer decent specs for a good price - which is also the Nord's main prospect.

The designs of the Huawei Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro have been revealed, and they may not be to everyone's tastes. The volume button has returned to the Pro model and the notch from the Mate 30 series has gone, but there is no escaping that comically-large rear-facing camera housing.

It's been over a year since the release of the Mi A3 and there's been little to no news about a Mi A4. New reports, however, claim that Xiaomi—along with Motorola—has ditched the Android One program and will no longer release any Mi A-series phones, starting with the Mi A4.

Xiaomi has launched yet another affordable smartphone in India. The Redmi 9 Prime comes with a 6.5-inch FHD LCD panel, a MediaTek Helio G80 SoC, 4GB of RAM, 64/128GB of storage, four rear cameras, and a 5,000mAh battery that supports fast charging at 18W. The phone will be available on August 3 and will retail at INR 9,999 (US$133) for the base variant.

A supposed list of Xiaomi and Redmi devices that will not get an update to Android 11 has been shared online and it makes for disappointing reading for owners of the Redmi Note 8 Pro, Redmi Note 8T, and Redmi Note 8. Unsurprisingly, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G has also found its way onto this particular shortlist.

A device calling itself the "motorola moto e(7) plus" has appeared on Geekbench 4. Therefore, a direct replacement for the unprepossessing Moto E6 Plus may be on the way. This new putative phone has 4GB of RAM and runs on a possibly unknown Snapdragon processor.

TCL has teased the next generation of 6-series TVs with a potentially important spec: THX Certified Game Mode. It functions to activate a panel of settings intended to represent gaming content with improved fidelity and quality. The upcoming screens will be the first to feature this new technology.

The Xiaomi Mi 9 smartphone has joined many other Xiaomi and Redmi devices on the Android 10-based Paranoid Android Quartz 4 custom ROM support list. The devs behind the firmware are also preparing the Xiaomi Mi A3 and Mi Mix 3 for future releases of the Paranoid Android ROM.

Xiaomi has announced a special event coming up soon, and a tip from a noted leaker has suggested that the popular Chinese OEM will use the moment as an opportunity to reveal some new smartphones. The Xiaomi Mi Pro+ (Super Cup) is a likely candidate, and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2020 has also been put forward for a potential reveal.

Realme has now launched its latest device, the Realme V5. The Realme V5 offers a slew of features including five cameras in total, a MediaTek Dimensity 720, and a 90 Hz display. All of that can be had for just over US$200.

The Android 11 update will start making its way to Xiaomi devices in September. It will be based on MIUI 12 and available to a host of Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco smartphones. The company is already testing the software on many smartphones, such as the Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, and Redmi K30 Pro.

Hisense has revealed its new Hardcore Gaming Monitor series at a trade show in China. The external monitor comes with a gaming-friendly 240 Hz refresh rate and features a curved display for increased immersion during intense gaming sessions. The Hisense Hardcore Gaming Monitor’s price hasn’t been announced yet.

A month ago, Xiaomi raised the regular retail price of the Redmi Note 8 by Rs 500 in India—the fifth such time this year alone. Well, that wasn't enough, apparently, and the Redmi Note 8 has now seen yet another price hike in that market; continuing the trend of anti-consumer behavior by Xiaomi.

Xiaomi could be offering a new GPU Turbo app in the upcoming Mi 10 Pro Plus that offers more fine-grained control over several aspects of the GPU including adjusting anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering levels among others. The Mi 10 Pro Plus powered by the Snapdragon 865 Plus is an incremental upgrade to the Mi 10 Pro, but it is not clear whether these GPU features would make to the entire Mi 10 lineup.

Xiaomi's Mi-series of truly wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds is a rapidly-growing line of accessories. However, none of them have featured active noise cancellation (ANC) before. A new addition to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) strongly suggests this is about to change.

After sending out the global stable MIUI 12 update to the Redmi Note 9 last week, Xiaomi is rolling out a new update to the Redmi Note 9 Pro. Sadly, it doesn't bring the much-awaited MIUI 12, and owners of the mid-range phone will have to wait a while longer.