Chinese Tech

The Android 10-based MIUI 11 update for the Xiaomi Mi Max 3 smartphone/phablet has apparently started rolling out to users in China. It’s expected a rollout for owners of the 6.9-inch device will soon follow in other parts of the globe. The Mi Max 3 was released in 2018 and features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC and a dual-camera setup. The large handset originally came with MIUI 9.5 (based on Android 8.1).

After months of delays, Xiaomi finally sent out the Android 10 update to its Android One Mi A2 Lite smartphone. As has become typical of Xiaomi's Android One updates, however, the build appears to be a poisoned chalice and is bricking devices.

Xiaomi showed quite some ambition when it opened its own Apple Store-esque outlet in Shepherd's Bush, London. However, reports that this brick-and-mortar establishment has shut down have recently emerged. UK customers can still buy products from this OEM online, though.

Motorola is slated to launch a true flagship phone, the Edge+, this year. It is thought to have a waterfall display with a punch-hole selfie camera thus far. Now, a new leak alleges that it will have a triple rear camera that incorporates a 108MP sensor.

The Unihertz Atom XL is the latest compact ruggedized Android phone from the Chinese company. Featuring a 4-inch display, a MediaTek Helio P60 SoC, and a 4100 mAh battery, the Atom XL is aimed squarely at outdoor use. Additionally, the phone can be used as a DMR-compatible walkie-talkie.

A Chinese blog has reported that a successor to the Mi 9 Explorer Edition is in the works at Xiaomi. This variant of the flagship phone was styled so as to look as though it had a clear-glass back - however, it was achieved with a decal of sorts. Apparently, its 2020 counterpart is the real deal.

After months of delays, Xiaomi is finally releasing the Android 10 update to owners of the Mi A2 Lite. The Android 10 rollout for the Mi A3 has been a proper shambles, however, so the company appears to be taking some precautions this time around.

The hands-on video that has recently surfaced online shows a smartwatch with slightly curved sides and bezels that seem to be a bit bigger than shown by the unofficial renders that were leaked not long ago. This smart wearable is set to launch in China on March 21 with a starting price of almost US$220.

The full specifications for the GPD Win Max handheld computer have been published online. The gaming device features the Ice Lake Intel Core i5-1035G7 and 16 GB of LPDDR4 RAM @3733 MHz. However, it is details such as the backlit QWERTY chiclet keyboard, the presence of a Thunderbolt 3 port, and the diminutive 8-inch form that have been exciting fans.

Last year, Nokia used a series of Marvel Studios-themed code-names for some of its new phones. Now, in 2020, it is rumored to continue this trend with a whole new character. A new report claims to spill all its specs, its product name and quad cameras included.

Realme has announced that it will launch its 5G-enabled flagship phone, the X50 Pro, in China on March 12, 2020. The OEM has also had the device approved for sale in this market by TENAA. The resulting leak reveals the possibility of a storage SKU that is not currently available in other markets.

While there are still flagship devices out there waiting to receive an update to Android 10 it seems that the midrange HTC U11 Life can now be counted as one of the smartphones that has actually started receiving the latest operating system. The HTC U11 Life, which was released in late 2017, is part of the Android One program.

It seems a stable release of Android 10 has started arriving on Pocophone F1 smartphones around the world. Xiaomi had some issues with the software a few weeks ago, with numerous bugs preventing a wider rollout of the latest OS. However, it appears that even Pocophone F1 owners who did not sign up for the beta test have now started receiving the welcome update.

The Xiaomi Mi 10 and 10 Pro are already available on the Chinese smartphone market. Now, the OEM has announced an international launch event for these flagships. In addition, a new rumor hints at an upcoming addition to their series with a bigger screen.

Huawei is currently compelled to generate its own in-house alternative to the Google Play Store - and to this platform's developer-side ecosystem in turn. Accordingly, it has publicly released details on the percentages app makers may expect to make through contributing to its new AppGallery.

Earlier leaks had suggested that Vivo would refresh its Nex 3 flagship phone with a Snapdragon 865- and 5G-equipped variant. Now, the OEM has validated them in a new Weibo post. This new version of the device will launch on March 10, 2020.

Reports are that Xiaomi has fixed the bugs that affected last weekend's Android 10 upgrade for the Mi A3. However, the company also warns that rolling back to Android 9.0 Pie from Android 10 can cause system instabilities, which is not all that reassuring.

Android 10 on the Mi Mix 3 has been a long time coming, with Xiaomi first releasing a beta build for the device way back in October. While the company issued Android 10 for Chinese handsets in January, the rest of the world has had to wait patiently. Thankfully, that wait is over and the 2.0 GB update should now be arriving as an OTA.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro is almost upon us, and Geekbench may have given us an insight into what chipset Xiaomi has chosen to power its upcoming mid-range handset. Seemingly choosing to do battle with the Realme 6 Pro, the Redmi Note 9 Pro will feature the Snapdragon 720G and 6 GB of RAM. Geekbench hints that Xiaomi may have a performance edge over Realme, though.

It seems that the P20 Lite may forever remain on EMUI 9.1. Android 10 and EMUI 10 are not on the way despite the P20 Lite only having received one OS upgrade. Unsurprisingly, fans and owners of the device are unhappy about the news and have taken to petitioning Huawei to address the matter.

OPPO finally introduced its long-awaited Find X2 series today (March 6, 2020). However, it also had a "one more thing" moment: a new mobile-broadband device that could bring 5G speeds to the home or office. It is based on the Snapdragon X55 modem, and can deliver both mmWave and sub-6GHz reception.

The highly-awaited successor to the Oppo Find X is here in the form of the Oppo Find X2 and Oppo Find X2 Pro. Both phones come with a 6.7-inch QHD+ 120Hz AMOLED panel, 12GB of RAM, a 4,200mAh battery that can be charged at 65W, and more. The Oppo Find X2 can be had for €999($1,129) and the Oppo Find X2 Pro €1,199($1,355) in Europe.

Some prior leaks and rumors have pointed to the development of a phone with a display that extends on a roller at TCL. Now, the OEM has confirmed these hints with a new concept based on such a design. It is touted to solve some of the emerging issues with current flexible-display devices, creasing included.

The MediaTek Dimensity 800 is a new processor that may make 5G even more mid-range in 2020. Now, a reliable Weibo tipster asserts that Redmi is to be the first OEM to bring it to the mobile-device market in 2020. It is an outside possibility that the phone in question could be of the Note 9 series.

TCL has launched new TVs for 2020, which are divided into 3 series: V8, C8 and P9, which also have their own additional marketing monikers and specific enhancements or use-cases. They are quantum-dot panels, some of which also have "Hi-Fi" audio or hands-free controls.

A new listing for "Mi True Wireless Earphones 2S" has appeared on the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) website. Based on this name, it seems that Xiaomi has a new TWS product on the way. However, the image that goes with their new apparent certification looks like one that is already on the market.

The UNISOC T7520 mid-range SoC also is the world's first chip to integrate a dual-5G modem with NR TDD+FDD carrier aggregation. Thanks to the improved 6 nm manufacturing process, UNISOC aims to lower the price point for 5G-enabled handsets.

ARM has not even finalized production for the Cortex-A78 cores and Huawei already plans to include them in this year's Kirin 1020 SoC powering the mate 40 flagships? A rather unlikely scenario considering all the problems the U.S. government is trying to create for Huawei right now.

Realme 6 and Realme 6 Pro are Realme's latest mid-range offerings for the India market. Both phones come with impressive specs such as a 90Hz screen, a 4,300mAh battery that can be charged at 30W, a quad-camera array at the back and more. Realme 6 is priced at Rs. 12,999($178) for the base variant, and the Realme 6 Pro at Rs. 16,999($233) for the entry-level option.

Realme X50 Pro will be available for purchase today at noon. It will be available on both Flipkart and the official Realme website. Users can also take advantage of a host of benefits such as cashback, no-cost EMI, and exchange offers. The base variant of the Realme X50 Pro with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage will retail at Rs. 37,999($517).

Chuwi has posted several specs for its upcoming AeroBook Pro PC. It is to be a 15.6-inch notebook with a 4K display rated to cover 100% of the sRGB color-space, and an ultra-thin "full-metal" case. It will become available as part of a new Indiegogo campaign in late March 2020.

The OPPO Find X2 is yet to be launched. However, the prolific leaker Roland Quandt claims to have some real-life renders of the phone. They match earlier tips that show a phone with a single punch-hole selfie camera and 3 rear-facing ones. This fresh leak also purports to show this phone's new colorways.

Following on from yesterday's report that OnePlus will announce its next suite of devices next month, a new rumour claims that the OnePlus 8 series will start at just £400 (~US$510). Additionally, the OnePlus 8 Pro, the premier of the three handsets, will support not only dual-band 5G and 30 W wireless charging, but also 30 W wireless charging. The OnePlus 8 series may not hit most markets until July, though.

Android 10 is here for the Redmi Note 7 Pro. We would recommend holding off for the time being though, as the build will likely contain a few bugs. The first Android 10 build for the Redmi Note 7 Pro comes just a few days after Xiaomi pushed Android 10 to the Redmi Note 8 Pro, too.

Listings of the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME by several AMD AiB partners have started popping-up on Chinese websites. The Radeon RX 590 GME is clocked lower than the non-GME variant and is slated to launch on March 9 exclusively for the Chinese market with prices starting from around US$170.

The Red Magic 5G is Nubia's upcoming 2020 gaming phone. It is slated to get a 144Hz display, the Snapdragon 865 SoC and up to 16GB of RAM. The OEM has also showed off its AnTuTu benchmarking score, which knocks that of the Black Shark 3 Pro off the top spot.

This is how the display of the Huawei P40 Pro should look, with it curving into its frame on all four sides. The photo in question has been making the rounds for some time now, but a reliable Huawei leaker has now been able to confirm the quad-curve design. The P40 Pro has a rather thick, pill-shaped, punch hole for its dual selfie cameras, though.

It has not been a good few days for Xiaomi, at least concerning the Mi A3 anyway. Having botched the device's Android 10 update the company now claims that it is working to re-release the OS upgrade "as soon as possible". Convinced? Neither are we.

Huawei has been hard at work developing its own Play Store alternative for quite some time now. The company is reportedly negotiating with Indian app developer Indus OS to create one for the country. Indus OS is an established player in the region and has over 400,000 apps on its platform.

OnePlus will reportedly launch the OnePlus 8 series of smartphones in April, according to a source familiar with the matter. The company is expected to release three devices this year; the OnePlus 8 Lite, OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. OnePlus 8 Lite will be the world's first phone to run MediaTek's Dimensity 1000 SoC.

Xiaomi's current highest rate of commercial-grade wireless charging is found in the Mi 10 series. It can power a phone at 30 watts (W). However, the OEM has also just demonstrated its next generation, a 40W system, that can charge a phone in as little as 40 minutes.

The Black Shark 3 series is thought to be the next upcoming generation of Xiaomi's gaming phones. New tips spilled onto Weibo indicate how the rumored Pro variant may differ from the base model. Apparently, these variations will mainly concern screen size and resolution.

The Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro have proven immensely popular for Xiaomi, but so has the Redmi K30 series. The Redmi K30 4G and Redmi K30 5G have only been available for a month and two months respectively, but the series has already exceeded 1 million sales. With the Redmi K30 starting at CNY 1,599, that equates to at least US$230 million in sales. These figures do not include the POCO X2, either.

The Android 10 rollout for the Mi A3 has been catastrophic, with Xiaomi pulling the initial build just a few days after unexpectedly releasing it over the weekend. If you are one of the unlucky few to have upgraded your Mi A3 to Android 10, then you are probably encountering plenty of bugs. There is a workaround for getting a functional fingerprint scanner back though, if that is any help.

While the Redmi Note 7 is yet to receive Android 10 builds of MIUI 11, someone may have been trying out MIUI 12 on one unit. Spotted on Geekbench, the rogue Redmi Note 7 claims to be running Android 11, currently known as Android R. While it is not unheard of for devices running pre-release software to appear on popular benchmarking tools, we have our doubts about this.

The Redmi K30 has already proven hugely successful, but Xiaomi is not done with the series yet. While the Redmi K30 Pro may be one of the worst kept secrets in smartphone tech at the moment, XDA Developers has uncovered that a third model is on its way, too. While both are expected to be 5G handsets, only one is likely to feature a dedicated telephoto camera.

The Redmi Note 8 Pro may have only just received Android 10, but Xiaomi is already teasing its successor. Set to launch on March 12, the Redmi Note 9 Pro will be joined by the Redmi Note 9. Seemingly paired with four rear-facing cameras, the Redmi Note 9 series is being teased as offering "Pro Cameras" and "Max Performance".

Xiaomi released Android 10 for the Mi A3 yesterday. As is becoming a theme with Xiaomi's Android One OS updates, however, the build was extremely buggy, and the company has now chosen to pull the update entirely.

The Realme 6 and 6 Pro are upcoming phones with the potential to bring new quad cameras and 30W charging to the cost-effective end of the Indian market. They are currently rumored to be powered by the MediaTek Helio G90 and Snapdragon 720G processors respectively. New Geekbench listings appear to bear these specs out.