Gadget

The Redmi K40 series has been all but confirmed to ship without a charger by default and it appears the Redmi Note 10 series could also tow that path. Redmi executive Lu Weibing has now heavily hinted as much, which could pave the way for budget and mid-range phones to also not ship without a charging brick.

Today (27 January 2021), OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei launched his first company formed since leaving that OEM in 2020, and it's...Nothing. This new brand-name apparently applies to new and innovative tech Pei and his team plan to build from the ground up with no reference to what has gone before. However, there is still no word on what forms these products are to take yet.

The FCC has published another Amazfit smartwatch certification, albeit one that currently goes by two names. The smartwatch, which has model number A2013, is either the T-Rex Pro or the T-Rex 2. Regardless, the upcoming smartwatch will have a round screen, GPS, automatic training detection and will support music playback.

With the Inkplate 10, one can use an ESP32 e-Paper display without connecting it to a machine like the Raspberry Pi. The Inkplate 10 also has a peripheral mode for use with devices such as the Raspberry Pi, but its Wi-Fi connectivity makes it more versatile than many e-Paper displays. The Inkplate 10 also promises up to 37% faster refresh rates than typical e-Paper displays, among other improvements.

Scheduled to hit Europe this March with a price tag of over US$8,850, the Sony Alpha 1 features a new 50.1 MP full-frame stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor, an upgraded BIONZ XZ imaging processing engine, world's first anti-flicker shooting with both mechanical and electronic shutter, 8K video recording, and much more.

A first leak of Xiaomi Mi Band 6-related specifications has offered up a goldmine of information about the upcoming budget fitness tracker – apart from its release date and probable price. However, Xiaomi’s habits with previous Mi Band launches and the state of the wearables market offer up some useful clues for predictions.

A report out of South Korea has claimed that both Apple and Samsung are preparing to include a blood glucose monitor in their upcoming 2021 smartwatch releases. This means that an Apple Watch 7, Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, or Galaxy Watch Active 3 could end up being fitted with a vital, and non-invasive, sensor for checking glucose levels.

The first details of the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 have been posted online, and it seems likely there will be a global variant called the Mi Smart Band 6. The upcoming activity tracker has all the features that the Mi Band 5 offers but with additional utilities, such as SpO2 tracking (blood oxygen level measurement) and Alexa support. The Mi Band 6 may have a larger display too.

Pimoroni has announced multiple devices utilising the RP2040 microcontroller, following the Raspberry Pi Pico's announcement yesterday. A highlight of the bunch is the PicoSystem, which transforms the RP2040 into a handheld games console.

The BeagleV offers open-source RISC-V computing on freeRTOS and Linux distributions like Debian and Fedora. With a SiFive U74 processor and up to 8 GB of RAM, the BeagleV should be a powerful single-board computer. The BeagleV has a plethora of I/O, too.

Philips and its partner MMD have presented a 28-inch and 4K monitor. The 288E2UAE offers decent colour accuracy, a USB 3.2 four-port hub and an adjustable stand.

The Raspberry Pi Pico is a tiny microcontroller board powered by the Raspberry Pi Foundation's custom RP2040 microcontroller chip. The board is similar to an Arduino in that it is designed for simple and specific electronics projects or as a complimentary board to the Raspberry Pi.

Microsoft is yet to release Windows 10X, but the upcoming OS has already been shown working on the Surface Pro 7 and even the Lumia 950 XL. Windows 10X should officially arrive later this year pre-loaded on dual-screen devices.

The teardown experts at iFixit have disassembled the AirPods Max, revealing the complexities of Apple's latest headphones in the process. The AirPods Max achieved a repairability score of 6 points, which is much higher than most Apple products, AirPods and AirPods Pro included. The AirPods Max has a more complex construction than the Sony WH-1000XM4 and Bose NC 700, too.

GPD has launched its latest handheld games console on Indiegogo, and it has already proven exceedingly popular with fans. The Tiger Lake-powered machine has raised over US$1.1 million from backers in less than a day. The GPD Win3 will begin shipping in May 2021 and is available to order with a Core i5-1135G7 or a Core i7-1165G7 processor. Both CPUs feature Intel's latest Iris Xe Graphics GPUs.

The Galaxy SmartTag is a new consumer-grade electronic tracker from Samsung. It has a versatile array of use-cases, from potentially protecting bags from theft to finding lost pets. It is rated for up to 6 months of use per charge, and for ultra-wide-band (UWB) technology, which helps with its AR Tracking feature.

Redditor newhacker1746 managed to get Ubuntu up and running on an A10-powered Apple iPhone 7, after using the Checkra1n jailbreak exploit.

The latest device from YARH.IO makes the Raspberry Pi even more portable. The appropriately-called YARH.IO Micro 2 has an IPS display, a keyboard and a replaceable battery. The YARH.IO Micro 2 can be purchased as a complete unit or built at home using a 3D printer and off-the-shelf parts.

Amazfit has teased another member of the growing GTR 2 and GTS 2 family in the form of the upcoming Amazfit GTR 2 LTE. This latest addition will bring the total of smartwatches in this range to six SKUs. Fortunately, Amazfit has published a handy graphic to help shoppers choose from the diverse range of “fitness for all” smartwatches.

TCL's new product launches are mainly display-centric; however, it has also announced the expansion of its smart device ecosystem at CES 2021. They include the new Wearable Display, a name the OEM has seen fit to give its first pair of smart glasses. They are joined here by other devices such as the hybrid ANC-enhanced MOVEAUDIO S600 earbuds, the MOVETRACK PetTracker and the LINKHUB 4G/LTE Outdoor CPE.

The Over:Board is a carrier board for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 that turns the compact machine into a mini-ITX motherboard. The Over:Board features a host of I/O, including dual HDMI and USB 2.0 ports. There is a PCI-Express slot too, along with a CPU fan header.

The GK3V is a Gemini Lake Refresh-based mini-PC with a built-in VGA output. The device also has two HDMI ports, 8 GB of RAM and four USB ports. There is even space for a 2.5-inch drive, which supplements the device's built-in storage.

Nex Computer has returned with its latest laptop shell, the NexDock 360. The machine features a 13.3-inch touchscreen in a 2-in-1 convertible form factor, along with a 44 Wh battery, a large trackpad and inputs to connect a smartphone or a Raspberry Pi.

The Amazfit GTR 2e and Amazfit GTS 2e smartwatches from Huami have now officially become available to customers in North America. Both watches are priced at US$139.99, with the main differences between them being design and battery life. The Amazfit GTR 2e and Amazfit GTS 2e come with a data sensor for blood-oxygen saturation measurement.

Samsung has announced that it will launch the Galaxy S21 flagship series on January 14, 2021 in India. However, interested consumers in this market can now "pre-reserve" one of these phones ahead of this date with a special "VIP Pass". Doing so reportedly gets the buyer a free case worth the equivalent of ~US$52.

Lenovo has made an ambitious leap into the business end of AR glasses with the new ThinkReality A3s. Their lenses are 1080p displays for their potential mixed-reality (MR) or heads-up display content. They also have dual RGB cameras to orient this view, and come in smartphone- or laptop-tethered USB type C variants.

Sony India has confirmed that it has finally set a release date for the PlayStation 5 (PS5): February 2, 2021, although pre-orders start from January 12 in the country. However, those hoping to reserve a Digital Edition have had their hopes dashed by blogs claiming the company has told them this version is not coming during this early-year launch period.

An owner of a Xiaomi Mi Band 5 fitness tracker has taken to Reddit to report about the gadget exploding while it was being charged. Apparently, it was the global version of the Mi Band 5 wearable and was not a copy or mishandled in any way. Issues likes this have been frequently reported in regard to smartphones, such as the notorious Samsung Galaxy Note 7 episode.

The Galaxy S21 series may be Samsung's next flagship products, but the South Korean company has other exciting devices in the works too. According to several pictures, Samsung plans to announce not only the Galaxy Buds Pro, but the Galaxy SmartTags also.

OnePlus has started officially teasing its upcoming fitness tracker that will feature useful tools such as SpO2 blood saturation monitoring and real-time heart-rate tracker. The alleged OnePlus Band price in India and its launch date have also been leaked along with some key specifications. The OnePlus Band is expected to cost around ₹2,499 (US$34).

According to a slew of recent certifications, Samsung has a new product called the Galaxy Smart Tag in the works. It, as the name suggests, is a Tile- or AirTag-like gadget that can connect to a phone via Bluetooth in order to locate it, or the other way around. It might be ready to debut alongside the OEM's new flagship phones.

The OnePlus Band is seemingly in the works and should soon be ready to challenge the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 in the budget wearable sector. Rumors state that the OnePlus Band will be unleashed with a sub-US$40 price tag and may be launched in the Indian market first, where the Xiaomi Mi Band series has dominated affordable fitness tracker sales.

An alleged successor to LG's Stylo 6 phablet had previously shown up in renders hinting at a highly original, pen-centric rear panel design. Its latest leak does not bear this out: however, it does purport to reveal a "Samsung Galaxy Note rival" with an appreciably large display and SKUs with a choice of connectivity.

The drone-maker DJI is one of the latest companies to be placed on the US Administration's Entity List. The OEM has reacted with a bemused message posted to its official Twitter account, in which it denies doing anything to warrant this action, and to do all it can to limit its effect on its customers, suppliers and other business partners.

New year, new Xiaomi Mi-series flagships...plus the company's highest-end charging tech, it seems. However, the latest leak on this subject suggests that this 120 watt (W) standard will be reserved for the upcoming series' Pro variant. Furthermore, something even better may be coming for a subsequent release in the second half of 2021.

The Amazfit Bip U Pro fitness smartwatch is now available to customers in the US at a price of US$69.99 with free shipping. Buyers of the wearable from Huami will get to enjoy built-in GPS, Amazon Alexa assistance, and over 60 sports modes. The Amazfit Bip U Pro also offers blood-oxygen level measurement and heart-rate monitoring.

The Realme Watch S Pro is almost upon us, but CEO Madhav Sheth has found time to publish several teasers of the upcoming smartwatch. The Realme Watch S Pro will have an AMOLED screen, up to 14 days of battery life, GPS and a heart rate monitor, among other features.

OnePlus' Cyberpunk 2077 Special Edition may have to step aside: it has a new sibling with even more advanced and futuristic features. This 8T Concept has a rear panel with color-changing technology, designed to both indicate notifications and sync with the user's breathing using the device's also-next-level mmWave radar.

SMIC is a chipmaker that recently reported the development of its own 7 nanometer (nm) node. However, its plans for this silicon may have become somewhat limited, as the outgoing Trump administration has followed through on a threat to place the foundry on its trade blacklist. The drone OEM DJI is another big name in the latest rounds of these sanctions.

The Amazfit GTS 2 Mini fitness smartwatch from Huami is now officially available to shoppers in the US. The wearable, which comes with a heart-rate monitor, PAI health assessment system, and SpO2 level measurement, is priced at US$99.99 with free shipping. The Amazfit GTS 2 Mini weighs just 19.5 g (0.69 oz).

Realme has started revealing some of the details about its upcoming Watch S Pro device, including the launch date for the high-end wearable. The Realme Watch S Pro comes with a blood oxygen and heart-rate monitor, built-in dual-satellite GPS, and it can offer up to 14 days of battery life. Realme’s first premium smartwatch will be launched on December 23.

A couple of Apple Watch-related patents could give an indication of the direction Apple is taking in regard to a potential Apple Watch Series 7 device. One of the patents details a Touch ID button for the smartwatch while the other reveals an under-display camera solution that would make an Apple Watch 7 ideal for quick FaceTime video calls.

The 98-inch Redmi Smart TV Max from Xiaomi has apparently taken China by storm. Xiaomi has revealed some statistics about the giant television, including that its monthly sales are 30 times higher than its rivals in the same-size segment. The Redmi Max 98 has been incredibly popular since launching at a bargain price of 19,999 yuan (US$3,061).

The ZimaBoard is an unusual-looking machine, and one that serves as a mini-PC, a server and a single-board computer. The ZimaBoard features an Intel processor and is passively cooled.

The Hackboard 2 is an Intel-based single-board computer that is also compatible with the Raspberry Pi. The machine runs Windows 10 or Ubuntu natively and retails for US$99. The Hackboard 2 features 4 GB up DDR4 RAM and 64 GB of eMMC flash storage too, along with plenty of I/O.

Desalvo Systems has introduced a new version of its Maker Block Raspberry Pi 4 case, which it has machined from a solid block of copper. Appropriately called the Solid Copper Maker Block Case, the case is likely to draw attention with its striking design. However, the use of a copper block is also practical as it supposedly delivers superior passive cooling than many other cases for the Raspberry Pi 4.

Xiaomi has released a new firmware update for the Mi Band 5 activity tracker. The software has been pushed out to deal with problems with the accuracy of the sleep-tracking function, with a few other minor additions such as extra language support included. It’s likely the update will eventually make it to the international Mi Smart Band 5 variant.

Xiaomi has launched the Mi EBook Reader Pro as expected and has revealed the e-reader’s specifications. Naturally, the Mi EBook Reader Pro is a step up from the non-Pro variant, but at a regular price of 1,299 yuan (US$198) the new Xiaomi device also holds up quite well against the more-expensive Kindle Oasis from Amazon.

Xiaomi has revealed its upcoming Mi EBook Reader Pro, which will be officially launched on Tuesday, December 15. A promo image of the device has been released that shows the electric paper book decked out in black with a touch button on the front. According to the marketing material, the Xiaomi Mi EBook Reader Pro will normally cost 1,299 yuan (US$198).

Realme is gearing up to release a new smartwatch into its wearable lineup in the form of the Realme Watch S Pro. The device has already been leaked via the FCC and now Realme India and Europe CEO Madhav Sheth has been continuously teasing the Watch S Pro ahead of its imminent launch. Built-in GPS and a large AMOLED should feature.