Gadget

A device called the Samsung Galaxy A Quantum 2 - possibly the South Korean product name for the A82 - has appeared on the Google Play Console A82. According to its new leaks, it will launch with 6GB of RAM, an FHD+ screen and the former flagship Snapdragon 855 Plus processor.

Eager Xiaomi fans outside of China can now order the new Mi Smart Band 6 from AliExpress, with prices starting from US$44.97. The NFC model is also available for purchase although the payment feature likely won’t function outside of China. A Mi Fit app update has introduced a useful sleep breathing quality monitor to the fitness tracker.

Xiaomi has presented a new robot vacuum, the MIJIA Robot Vacuum Cleaner Pro. The company claims that the vacuum can automatically avoid small items, such as cables, thanks to its 3D ToF camera.

The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 has been officially launched, bringing with it a full-screen 1.56-inch AMOLED touch display and an SpO2 sensor for tracking blood oxygen levels. Mi Smart Band 5 owners considering an upgrade to the Mi Band 6 can check out this handy specs comparison to see if it’s worth the expense.

A select handful of mobile device OEMs design their own custom silicon, and Xiaomi has just re-joined these ranks with the new Surge C1. Unlike other first-party chipsets, this one is a new image signal processor designed specifically for the company's new flagship foldable device. It controls a cutting-edge liquid lens, as well as a multi-use sensor.

Xiaomi has unveiled a new generation of its wireless charging stand, with a ground-breaking top speed of 80 watts. This new accessory has also been designed to better blend into a user's home through its new design. As if that wasn't enough, the OEM has also cheekily debuted an AirPower-esque, multi-device wireless charging mat.

Alleged live images of the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 and some supposed domestic price tags for the upcoming smart bracelet have appeared on Chinese social media. The Mi Band 6 fitness tracker will soon be launched as part of Xiaomi’s Mega Launch event. It has been rumored that the latest Mi Smart Band will have built-in GPS and SpO2 sensor.

The Ricoh Theta Z1 is this brand's latest miniature camera for 360-degree, spherical captures. It can achieve these in a single shot at a resolution of 6720x3360, and can also be used for all-around 4K/30fps video. Furthermore, it is the first of its series with an internal storage spec of 51GB, which may overcome the limitations of previous Theta models.

Huawei has confirmed that its HarmonyOS will start to roll out from April 2021. This in-house OS is intended to replace EMUI, which is based on Android, on its mobile devices. This process will start with the Mate X2, the OEM's latest foldable flagship.

Xiaomi has now confirmed that the Mi Band 6, which will be known as the Mi Smart Band 6 for the international market, will be launched on March 29. The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 fitness tracker has been teased in an official promo image that reveals the display type that was once expected for the popular Mi Band 5 predecessor.

Xiaomi is slated to launch the Ultra version of the Mi 11, not to mention the latest generation of the Mi Mix line, on March 29, 2021. It now seems that another kind of product might take the stage alongside them: a new Surge SoC. This in-house chipset might be intended to power the next generation of the OEM's connected ecosystem devices.

Another TTGO T-Watch has hit the shelves, this time with a GPS module and a microSD card reader. The TTGO T-Watch V2 lacks the microphone of the V3 model, though.

Dyson has unveiled the V15 Detect, its latest cordless vacuum that fights dust using lasers. The battery-powered vacuum uses a laser and an acoustic piezo sensor to do so in the fight against dust, which Dyson has combined with its 230 Airwatt Hyperdymium motor and a 5-stage filtration system.

Chipsee has developed new add-ons for the Raspberry Pi Computer Module 4, including one that turns it into an all-in-one PC. The so-called All-In-One Pi supports VESA desktop mounts in two colours. There is also an Industrial Pi board that utilises the Compute Module 4 as a 7-inch tablet with optional 4G connectivity.

Bang & Olufsen has unveiled a new pair of Bluetooth headphones that it claims should last up to 40 hours on a single charge. The BeoPlay HX should also deliver B&O's high-quality craftsmanship, along with active noise cancellation and premium sound quality.

The Raspberry Pi 400 is a powerful single-board computer with a built-in keyboard. Now, Adafruit has developed a Cyberdeck for it that sits above the keyboard. The expansion should be one of the simplest ways to add a small display without hooking the Raspberry Pi 400 to an external monitor.

The UP Squared Pro is an x86-based single-board computer (SBC) that comes with Intel Apollo Lake processors. The SBC also three M.2 slots, up to 8 GB of RAM and 64 GB of flash storage. The UP Squared Pro starts at US$169 and will begin shipping from next week.

The CutiePi, a Raspberry Pi-based tablet, has been upgraded with more powerful internals. The developer has made other changes too, although the display remains unchanged. The new CutiePi is available to pre-order for US$199 and will begin shipping in July 2021.

After the Mi Watch Lite, we reviewed the Mi Watch. Its higher-quality features are likely to appeal to athletes in particular.

"Rugged" phones from OEMs such as DOOGEE are often sold via platforms such as AliExpress. However, this company has now announced that it is also now selling its S59 Pro on Amazon (in the US and the UK). This IP68/IP69K/MIL-STD-810G device has one of the largest batteries on the Android market, which powers on-board speakers rated for up to 2W of audio power.

Xiaomi has once again teased its upcoming Mi Notebook Pro with the Chinese firm promoting its slender profile. A published patent has also shown that Xiaomi might be planning on giving the potential Mi Pad 5 its very own stylus. Unsurprisingly, there seem to be not-so-subtle nods given to the MacBook Air and Apple Pencil for inspiration.

A first real image of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi Band 6 has been spotted in EU Declaration of Conformity documents filed by Huami. Although the product is simply listed as a “Smart Band”, the file name, model name, and live image reveal the wearable as the Mi Band 6. Unfortunately, the photograph included in the filing only shows the band from the side.

A new case for the Raspberry Pi has been successfully funded on Kickstarter, and it comes with almost 200 RGB LEDs built-in. The LumiCube should be simple for Raspberry Pi beginners to realise and includes an IPS display, among other features.

OnLogic has announced the One Tough Pi, an industrial case that transforms the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 into a mini-PC. The One Tough Pi runs silently and brings dual Gigabit Ethernet to the single-board computer.

SoftBank has announced that it has set up a new 5G service in Japan. It is based on mmWave technology as opposed to sub-6GHz, which, according to its owner, brings the potential for higher speeds at reduced costs for carriers. The new system is made using Qualcomm hardware, and will support phones with the same OEM's SoCs.

Renowned leaker Even Blass has posted Samsung's product release schedule for 2021. It says that new Chromebooks and Galaxybooks are slated to be launched in April, followed by the Galaxy Tab S7 Lite in June, the Galaxy A82 in July and finally, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE in August.

The FCC has inadvertently leaked Suunto's next smartwatch, the Suunto 9 Peak. The regulatory body has confirmed not only the smartwatch's design, but also several of its features.

AAEON has introduced the Boxer-8253AI, a mini-PC that it has based on the NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX. The Boxer-8253AI has a rugged design and is aimed at professional users.

Insta360's freshly-debuted GO 2 miniature camera is a considerable upgrade over its first generation, not the least in its design and function. Its case still doubles as a battery-pack, but can now also act as a remote control and a tripod. It also has more field-of-view options and storage, as well as a new FlowState stabilization clip mode.

Recent leaks have raised the possibility that Samsung is preparing a successor to its unusual flip-camera phone, the Galaxy A80. Now, a new addition to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG) database provides proof that this device exists. It is thus almost certain to launch soon, with 5G and other forms of high-end wireless connectivity to boot.

E Ink announced a new version of their Kaleido color displays. Named Kaleido Plus, the new screens have the same color reproduction as the first generation but bring improvements in screen assembly and the front light that improve the overall picture and color saturation.

Apple has scheduled its next hardware event for March 23, according to a new report. The event would be set to clash with the OnePlus 9 series launch event, the date of which OnePlus has already confirmed. Apparently, new AirPods, iPad Pros and AirTags are ready for release, as is a new Apple TV. Only the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will have a mini LED display this year, though.

Initial details about the Snapdragon 888's successor have leaked, which should arrive later this year. The information suggests that Qualcomm may have partnered with Leica for the upcoming flagship SoC, among other things.

Cambridge Audio has revealed the Melomania 1+, the successors to the Melomania 1 that the company released in 2019. The Melomania 1+ offers all the great features of its predecessor, but with USB Type-C charging, Melomania app support and a High Performance Audio Mode.

According to a new report, Qualcomm plans to release another Snapdragon 7xx series SoC this year, along with the Snapdragon 775 and Snapdragon 775G. The SM7325 will have a Prime core, three performance cores and four power-efficiency cores, like the Snapdragon 888. The mid-range SoC will support up to 16 GB of RAM and UFS 3.1 storage too.

A tech leaker has claimed that Microsoft is currently developing a “portable machine” that will soon be announced to the world. An Xbox portable console or Xbox Series handheld device could take the market by storm and provide direct competition to the Nintendo Switch Lite. Just don’t expect it to be called the Xboy though.

Industry analyst Ming Chi-Kuo offered up an eyebrow-raising prediction in a recent research note. Kuo believes that Apple will release augmented reality contact lenses by the mid 2030s, potentially transforming the way people engage with technology and the world around them.

Samsung has two new wearables in store for us, the Galaxy Watch 4 and the Galaxy Watch Active 4. Both smartwatches are expected to be launched sometime in Q2, 2021, and will likely be the first Samsung devices to run WearOS instead of Tizen.

The Mijia Mi Smart Projector 2 Pro is a relatively portable FHD projector launched by Xiaomi with the potential advantage of a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor for added focus capabilities in late 2020 in China. Now, it has a Global variant, which means it runs Android TV and is available on Banggood from now.

The Amazfit T-Rex Pro has featured in an unboxing video that shows off all of the features of the upcoming military-grade smartwatch. The T-Rex Pro utilizes software based on real-time operating system (RTOS) and features a BioTracker 2 PPG optical sensor and SpO2 blood-oxygen level measurement all for €169.90 (US$203).

The StereoPi v2 is the follow-up to the 2019 first-generation model, which brought stereoscopic photography to the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3. Similarly, the StereoPi v2 enables the functionality of the Compute Module 4. The StereoPi v2 also supports the CM4 Lite.

The LG UltraFine OLED Pro (32EP950) is one of the most exciting monitors of 2021, as it is the first to bring OLED technology and a 4K resolution to the 32-inch form factor. The UltraFine OLED Pro 32EP950 promises excellent colour accuracy too, but it will retail for €3,999. There are cheaper 27-inch and 32-inch models, but these will still start at €3,000.

Razer is known for gaming audio peripherals; however, its new Anzu product is something else altogether. They are of the smart-glass type that incorporate personal speakers for the wearer's audio, which, as the OEM claims, will reach the user's head with reduced latency and increased immersion. They are available in Razer's store from now for US$199.99.

With the Jetson TX2 NX, NVIDIA has created a single-board computer that packs a Pascal GPU in a form factor of the Raspberry Pi Compute Module. The NVIDIA Jetson TX2 NX has 4 GB of RAM too, along with 16 GB of flash storage.

Xiaomi has launched a new Redmi monitor to join the already existing Redmi Display 1A. The latest addition has a larger screen size at 27 inches and offers a 1920x1080 resolution, fast gray-to gray response time, and up to a 75 Hz refresh rate. The 27-inch Redmi monitor has a pre-sale price of 899 yuan (US$139) in China.

A new model in Apple's burgeoning iPad product stack is set to arrive in the second half of 2021, according to a new report. Apparently, the device will be called the iPad mini Pro, which would position it somewhere between eh iPad mini 6 and the iPad Air 4.