Chinese Tech

The Huami Amazfit Band 6 has been confirmed thanks to a combination of some code digging and the fitness tracker appearing in all its glory on a retailer site. The Amazfit Band 6 comes with Amazon Alexa, blood oxygen monitoring, heart-rate tracker, menstrual cycle tracker, and stress detection. The “York” codename was previously thought to belong to a global version of the Xiaomi Mi Band 5.

The Honor Magicbook 15 laptop is now available for purchase in India. The notebook features an AMD Ryzen 5 3500U CPU with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of solid-state storage, and a Radeon Vega 8 GPU. It will be available on Flipkart starting August 3 for INR 42,999 (US$574).

Images and specs for the Redmi K30 Ultra have been shared online, with the upcoming device featuring a MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chip and up to 12 GB RAM. Apparently, Redmi will also be launching its first smartwatch soon, possibly in August, with some speculating that it will simply be a scaled-down version of the Xiaomi Mi Watch.

The Poco F1 was expected to receive its first taste of MIUI 12 in July but that doesn't appear to be feasible anymore with reports claiming the beta update has now been postponed. The new established timeline will see Poco F1 owners receive the stable update in late August.

Nubia announced the new RedMagic 5S gaming smartphone at the ChinaJoy event earlier this week. The RedMagic 5S sports identical hardware as the RedMagic 5G but comes with a few enhancements such as a slightly higher sampling rate for the shoulder triggers and a dedication optional Ice Dock accessory. The phone will be available in China from August 1 with a global launch planned sometime in September.

Huawei has launched two new tablets in its home market of China. Called the Enjoy Tablet 2 and MatePad 10.8, the tablets feature the Kirin 710A and Kirin 990 chipsets respectively. Both devices will run EMUI 10.1 out of the box, but the MatePad 10.8 is the more premium of the two tablets.

Hands-on images on the upcoming Realme V5 have surfaced online. They showcase the phone's quad-camera array and color variants. The phone is expected to run MediaTek's Dimensity 720 CPU, and will likely be unveiled on August 3.

The EEC has confirmed that Huawei is working on two new smartwatches. One is called the Watch GT 2 Pro, making it a good candidate as the successor to the Watch GT 2. The other is headed to Honor, and its name suggests that there is a new series planned for Huawei's sister company.

Huawei has officially launched its new TalkBand B6 fitness tracker and Bluetooth headset combination wearable. Three editions of the Huawei TalkBand B6 have been released, with prices starting at 999 yuan (US$143). The versatile gadget comes with a blood oxygen monitor, Kirin A1 chip, Bluetooth 5.2, and heart-rate monitor.

Xiaomi is introducing another color for its highly popular Mi 10 smartphone. The new finish can be translated as “elegant grey”, although it could also be classed as titanium. The elegant grey Xiaomi Mi 10 will be made available to buyers in China from July 31 and will be priced from 3,799 yuan (US$542).

Huawei will be celebrating the news that it managed to overtake Samsung in the second quarter of 2020 to become the world’s largest smartphone company in terms of number of units shipped. China’s impressive recovery from the effects of COVID-19 and Huawei’s huge popularity in its domestic market have helped the P40 Pro maker hit the top spot.

After sending out MIUI 12 beta updates to the Redmi Note 7 Pro in China, Xiaomi has now set its sights towards India—the only other region where the phone was sold. Yes, the MIUI 12 update is now rolling out to the Redmi Note 7 Pro in India.

After sending out a MIUI 12 update to the Redmi Note 9 in China last week, Xiaomi is finally delivering the update to global users. Hence begins the MIUI 12 global beta stable rollout for the Helio G85-powered Redmi Note 9, and the update weighs in at just over 500 MB.

The Xiaomi Mi A3 may be set to receive native screen recorder functionality with Android 11. However, it looks like the Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite will miss out.

The OnePlus Nord has coveted plenty of press in the last few weeks, but the company has already hinted that it plans to release another device in the US. Geekbench may have just offered a first whiff of the OnePlus 8T too. Unsurprisingly, the device is rocking Qualcomm's latest flagship chipset and plenty of RAM.

Xiaomi is not messing about with the rollout of MIUI 12 as it has brought two more devices onto its new OS. This time it is the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Lite in Europe, which follow the likes of the Mi 9 and Redmi K20 series. The Redmi 8A has finally received an OS upgrade too, nearly a year after its release.

Honor, Huawei's subsidiary, is planning to release a brand of gaming laptops. Called Honor Hunter, the series will be built around AMD processors and dedicated GPUs.

The Mi 10 Pro+ is expected to be released sometime next month and has now made an appearance on AnTuTu. The phone is shown with a score of over 687,000, which, interestingly, is higher than with we saw from the Snapdragon 865 Plus-powered Asus ROG Phone 3 a while ago.

Huawei has expanded the rollout of EMUI 10.1 in multiple regions. The expansion builds on the company's previous upgrade plans for Western Europe, North Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Russia, Central Asia, Canada, Japan and Latin America.

The OnePlus One remains a fan favourite all these years on, and it is set to receive official Lineage OS 17.1 updates. The community developed OS is based on Android 10, which is the sixth major OS update for the OnePlus One since its launch in 2014.

Xiaomi has a new “hot launch” in its product pages with the Mi Charger 33 W accessory. The charger can be used with smartphones like the Xiaomi Mi 10, Redmi K30 Pro, and Redmi 10X Pro, and it can be used with iPads and MacBooks. The Xiaomi Mi Charger 33 W is currently priced at 69 yuan (US$10).

The Huawei TalkBand B6 wearable has become the chief suspect for a teased product launch by the popular Chinese OEM. Although the promo image doesn’t specify what device is being marketed, the curved display certainly points to the TalkBand B6 fitness tracker and Bluetooth headset. A launch date of July 30 is also mentioned.

Amazfit claims that its ZenBuds TWS earbuds are so light and comfortable that they can be worn in bed all night. In fact, this is part of their use-case: to emit custom-designed audio that helps improve the user's sleep pattern. The brand has launched this product via Indiegogo, where they have now attracted just over US$1 million in backing.

The rollout of MIUI 12 for the Mi 9T Pro and Redmi K20 Pro has been extended, meaning that all versions should now be eligible for the OS upgrade. The Redmi 9 has also been brought onto MIUI 12 ahead of its release in India, while Xiaomi has expanded the Android 10 upgrade for the Redmi 7A too.

The Poco X2 is likely to get the stable MIUI 12 update sometime in August as confirmed by a moderator in the official Poco India Telegram channel. This response comes in the wake of many users querying the company on Twitter, especially after knowing that the Poco X2's Chinese counterpart, the Redmi K30 4G, has already received two MIUI 12-related updates.

A new MIUI 12 software update has started rolling out for participants in the Mi Pilot program who are testing the overlay on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro devices in India. This update indicates that a wider rollout for Redmi Note 8 Pro users may take longer than initially scheduled.

Xiaomi could be contemplating producing a smartphone, possibly as part of the innovative Mi Mix line, which actually integrates wireless earbuds into the top edge. It’s an intriguing concept along the lines of how Samsung Galaxy Note devices house the S Pen stylus. However, whether Xiaomi will take the wireless headset-holding smartphone into production remains to be seen.

Xiaomi has confirmed that it's set to launch a new gaming phone on July 31. The new phone, the Black Shark 3S, will succeed the Black Shark 3, and is expected to feature a Snapdragon 865 Plus as well as a competitive AMOLED display.

Redmi has been teasing a new upcoming smartphone launch for the Indian market, which seems more than likely to be the Redmi 9 device. The budget smartphone from Xiaomi is packed with decent features considering its affordable price point, including an octa-core processor and the Android 10-based MIUI 11 overlay.

Xiaomi is preparing another flash sale for the giant 98-inch Redmi Smart TV Max while also celebrating the news that the company shipped more TVs in China in the first half of 2020 than any other company. The Xiaomi Mi TV range is immensely popular, and with a price tag of 19,999 yuan (US$2,856), the Redmi Max 98 has also been selling well.

Xiaomi has now released two of its phones, the Redmi K30 Pro 5G and the Redmi 10X Pro 5G, in new, striking color options. The Redmi K30 Pro now comes in a stunning "Aqua Sky", while the Redmi 10X Pro is available in an even more eye-catching "Liquid Silver".

The smartphone OEM Nubia has announced a new launch event for devices to be sold under its 'gaming' brand Red Magic. They include the rumored overclockable phone the 5S. However, they also apparently include less typical debuts for a Wi-Fi 6 router and a portable fan with inbuilt retro gaming.

The top-spec Redmi Note 9 and the cheapest Redmi Note 9 Pro are priced right about US$20 apart. What does US$20 extra get you in a segment where every dollar counts? Hop in to find out how the Redmi Note 9 performs versus the more expensive Redmi Note 9 Pro.

For some reason, Huawei has suddenly started selling its phones for cheaper in China. The company is currently discounting most of its current lineup—including the P40 Pro Plus—by up to US$150. This also means the P30 Pro can now be had for under US$500.

A new Xiaomi product has appeared on the OEM’s crowdfunding site Youpin in the form of the Bcase ring light, which is an all-in-one photography accessory with an adjustable stand. The portable Xiaomi ring light comes with LED lighting that offers three shade levels and 10 levels of brightness. The Bcase ring light is priced at 159 yuan (US$23).

There have been rumors of an upcoming Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro+ and new information appears to have given the first solid clue as to when the phone will be released. Supposedly, the phone will be launched next month and will be placed and priced above the Mi 10 Pro.

The Mi 9T has received several MIUI 12 updates as it was one of the first phones to get a taste of MIUI 12. Owners of the phone in some regions will now have to wait a while for their next update, however, as Xiaomi has temporarily halted the MIUI 12 rollout for the phone.

A Xiaomi product labeled as the Mi EBook Reader has been spotted on Bluetooth certification leading to speculation that the Chinese OEM could be preparing its current MiReader device for a wider market. If the Xiaomi Mi EBook Reader and the MiReader are the same, then global users can expect an e-reader with 16 GB storage and a 24-level reading light.

Some new images of the Huawei TalkBand B6 have been leaked, with the upcoming wearable shown off in four different color variants. The fitness tracker/Bluetooth headset looks particularly elegant in stainless steel. The TalkBand B6 is expected to feature a Kirin A1 chipset for smart operations and a blood oxygen monitor.

Realme has been hyping a new line of smartphones that it may launch at IFA 2020 Special Edition. An executive from this brand has now confirmed that it is to be called the V series, and that the V5 will be its inaugural release. This phone will have a rectangular rear camera, the main sensor of which is thought to be 48MP in resolution.

OnePlus may be working on a OnePlus 8T and 8T Pro mid-year refresh. The first clues for this come from a code snippet pertaining to the latest version of the OnePlus Camera app, which includes references to a 64 MP shooting mode. The code indicates that the 64 MP mode can capture highly detailed shots in well-lit scenes.

The Poco F2 Pro is now receiving the official MIUI 12 update around the world. It's the global stable update and is rolling out to owners across Europe and Indonesia, with a specific build for Russian users. The Mi Note 10 is now also receiving the MIUI 12 update in China.

Xiaomi has launched MIUI for TV 3.0 software for its Mi TV range. The new overlay brings an enhanced user interface with it along with detailed animations for the menu and new operating modes, including a gamepad mode. MIUI for TV 3.0 is based on the Android TV operating system.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro has received another update in India, but the device remains on Android 9.0 Pie and MIUI 11. In comparison, some Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7S handsets have already been upgraded to Android 10 and MIUI 12. The degree of software support for the Redmi Note 7 Pro is in contrast to the Mi 9, which has now finished its upgrade to MIUI 12 across all regions.

The reliable tipster Digital Chat Station claims that Nubia has a refresh of its Red Magic gaming phone flagship in the works. Called the 5S, it will apparently be capable of GPU overclocking. This means that, even though it is slated to run on the Snapdragon 865, the user can make its Adreno 650 exceed standard clock speeds by an appreciable margin.

Oppo has released an animated trailer for a Wear OS device that will reportedly launch worldwide on July 31, 2020. It is most likely for its first-gen smartwatch, which has been released in China but runs a variant of ColorOS in that region. This device is Apple-esque in its design and has a Qualcomm processor for wearables.

The GW16 is another budget smartwatch, and one that looks surprisingly like the Huawei Watch GT 2. The device can be purchased for under US$25 and features a large touch IPS display, a thermometer, a heart rate monitor and is IP67 certified.

MIUI 12 has made its debut on the Mi 9 SE, Xiaomi's diminutive mid-range smartphone. The update is rolling out to handsets now amid claims that the Pocophone F1 could be the next device to receive Xiaomi's new OS upgrade following the recent rollout to the Redmi Note 8 Pro.

EMUI 10.1 may have introduced multiple features to Huawei's roster of devices, but there are reports of the OS update removing some functionality too. According to frustrated users, EMUI 10.1 has removed call recording and camera resolution options, although not all devices are affected.

While Intel is yet again postponing the launch of its 7 nm processors, Chinese chip makers like Phytium are rising with big dreams of providing decent competition for AMD in the next few years. Phytium currently specializes in server-grade CPUs with 64 cores, but, by the end of 2021, the Chinese company intends to ready 128-core server chips built on TSMC's 5 nm nodes, along with 14 nm desktop and embedded CPUs.