Sony and Honda have signed a “memorandum of understanding”, which would see the two Japanese giants form a new company to build battery electric vehicles together.
(more…)Author: GSMArena
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TCL unveils its first laptop
TCL has unveiled a Snapdragon-powered Windows 11 laptop for students. The Book 14 Go is TCL’s first laptop.
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‘Samsung Galaxy S21 Fan Edition’ Listed on AR Core support site
It has been more than a month since Samsung’s August Unpacked event where it announced a couple of new foldables, new smartwatches, and new earbuds. It was also expected that Samsung was going to announce the Galaxy S21 FE (Fan Edition) but that didn’t end up happening.
Samsung has yet to acknowledge that it will be brining a Fan Edition of its 2021 S-Series flagship, but Google has inadvertently listed the device as supported by Android’s Depth API as seen on Google’s AR Core support website.
This could mean that Samsung is ready to release the Fan Edition Galaxy S21. The Fan Edition should deliver the same flagship experience as the Galaxy S21, but with a notably lower price point due to production cost-savings and component variances.
Last week, Google confirmed that there would be two variants of the Galaxy S21 FE, including an Exynos variant, believed to be powered by the Exynos 2100. The Qualcomm version is believed to use the Snapdragon 888. The Galaxy S21 FE was listed to Google’s Play Console last month.
Previously leaked image of Galaxy S21 FE
Samsung’s Galaxy S21 FE is expected to have the same features as its flagship counterparts including the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner, IP 68 water and dust resistance, high refresh rate screen, wireless charging, Samsung Pay, Wireless DeX, and Dobly Atmos.
Samsung has yet to confirm when the Fan Edition will arrive. We suspect it should be arriving in time for the holiday shopping season. An optimal time frame for that could be October, but this is only speculation. We’re expecting it to arrive at some point before the end of the year.
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Huawei Unveils MatePad 5G: a Kirin 820-powered version of the MatePad 10.4
The Huawei MatePad Pro 5G is a high end tablet with next gen connectivity, but it starts at $785. The MatePad 10.4 is cheaper, $280 for the Wi-Fi only option, but is not as capable. In the midway point between those two lies the new Huawei MatePad 5G.
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iPhone 12 mass production delayed by 1 month
Apple has pushed iPhone 12 mass production back 1 month, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. This means that the iPhone 12 will likely be launch later than usual, possibly towards the end of October.
This report comes a week after Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo’s report of an iPhone 12 production delay of 1 month, despite earlier claims that production will go on as usual.
The WSJ report continues that Apple has cut build estimates for the months from July until the end of the year by 20%.
Apple’s iPhone 12 will be the biggest change to iPhone since the iPhone X in 2017. It will bring a new, iPad Pro-inspired design, with sharp edges and flat sides and usher in new sizes – a smaller 5.4-inch, a larger 6.7-inch, and two 6.1-inch models. It will also bring 5G support, a LiDAR-assisted camera on the Pro models, and the new 5nm Apple A14 chip, based on TSMC’s process.
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Oppo appoints new President of Global Marketing
Oppo announced today an important switch among its senior executives – the President of Global Marketing Brian Shen resigned and will be replaced by Liu Li who is being promoted from his position of Chief Marketing Officer at Oppo China.
Brian Shen explained on Weibo the reason for the change is personal health issues. His successor Liu Li will take the global business and Oppo reminded in a short press release that he was the person behind the Find lineup, as well as the Ulike and Real phone families.
The new president will continue working on current smartphone projects and will report to Oppo mobile CEO Chen Mingyong. According to Jia Mo, an analyst at Canalys, the first challenge ahead of Liu Li will be coping with the COVID-19 aftermath.
He added that Chinese manufacturers need to increase sales in China to ensure cash flow, given the uncertainty in major overseas markets like India and Europe.
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WhatsApp is working on allowing more than 4 people on a group video or audio call
With the current pandemic forcing a lot of people to stay at home, group video calls and even group audio calls have really taken off lately. Apps such as Google’s Duo have already upped the maximum number of participants on a video call by 50%, and it now looks like Facebook-owned WhatsApp is planning on doing something similar. (more…)
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Apple kills the iPhone 8, stops selling the iPhone 8 Plus
Now that the 2020 iPhone SE is official, Apple has decided to kill the iPhone 8. First of all, yes, the company was still selling the iPhone 8, all the way up until today. Second, this makes sense when you think about it, as the iPhone SE is basically just an iPhone 8 with the latest A13 chipset and better camera software. (more…)
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Apple’s music subscriber count grew 36% in 2019 but Spotify still on top
Last year was a good year for the music streaming business. The whole market grew about 32% year-over-year while Spotify and Apple Music are still leading the pack. According to the research by Counterpoint, Apple’s music subscriber count grew 36%, grabbing 19% of the market. (more…)
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Apple’s to release an entry-level phone called iPhone SE with up to 256GB storage
Apple’s long-anticipated entry-level iPhone tipped to launch as the iPhone 9 might actually come with a different name according to the latest rumors. A report obtained by 9to5Mac claims that the official marketing name for the new device will simply be iPhone SE with Apple referencing it as the 2020 version. This is, of course, a nod to the first-gen iPhone SE from 2016 and a common practice in Apple’s naming policy. (more…)
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Xiaomi working on a 144 MP smartphone
Xiaomi was the first company to launch a smartphone with a 48MP camera in the Redmi Note 7, then it introduced the Redmi Note 8 Pro with a 64MP shooter, and later it also pioneered 108MP cams with the Mi CC9 Pro/Mi Note 10.
Now, according to one leakster, it will also be the first one to introduce a 144MP image sensor in a handset.
Xiaomi is working on a phone with 144MP camera sensor.
I guess it should be Mi 10S Pro or Mi CC10 Pro— Sudhanshu (@Sudhanshu1414) April 2, 2020
While it is too early to pinpoint which exact smartphone is getting the new sensor, the tipster suggests it can debut on the Mi CC10 Pro or a Mi 10S Pro. We are obviously playing the guessing game, but we should be hearing more about this project in the coming weeks.
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Apple reignites development of the AirPower charging mat, According to Report
Remember the AirPower charging mat? Apple first announced it back in 2017 and it would be able to simultaneously charge an iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch, regardless of where on the mat you place these items. Apple was overzealous about this product, so much so that it didn’t realize the hurdles it would eventually face in attempts to develop such a charging mat. (more…)
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2020 Fall iPhones still on schedule despite the COVID-19 outbreak
Like all tech companies, Apple is greatly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak which disturbed global supply chains. But that doesn’t mean there will be a delay in the 2020 flagship iPhones expected this Fall, insiders said to Bloomberg. (more…)
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Nokia 5310 debuts: another classic reborn
HMD has a taste for bringing back some of the classic Nokia phones and the latest one to get this honor is the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic. Its 2020 reincarnation is a Series 30+ featurephone that has the exact same paintjobs – black/red and white/red and comes with side-mounted keys for operating the music player.
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Apple hit with a $1.23B fine over market tampering in France
The Autorite de la Concurrence, the competition watchdog of France, has fined Apple €1.1 billion ($1.23 billion) for preventing its distributors Tech Data and Ingram Micro from lowering their prices. The verdict is following a complaint filed back in 2012, when a reseller launched a complaint that its wholesalers were teaming with Apple and not competing with each other.
The authority stated that Apple was treating unfairly its partners and was limiting their supply, including iPads, compared to its own stores. This, along with the lack of competition, lead to identical pricing across almost half of the retail market.
Apple replied in a statement, calling the decision “disheartening”’ and said it will appeal the ruling. The company stated that it relates to practices from over a decade ago and ignores “thirty years of legal precedent.”
This is the biggest fine the Autorite de la Concurrence has ever imposed.
