Category: Cell Phone

OnePlus is no stranger to releasing special editions of its smartphones. After cutting ties with long-time partner McLaren, OnePlus has been hard at work finding someone to work alongside. It appears to have found a new friend in CD Projekt Red, as there is a Cyberpunk 2077-themed OnePlus 8T in the pipeline.

Some teaser images from Weibo (via GSMArena) give us a glimpse into the special edition OnePlus 8T. However, first images of the Cyberpunk 2077-flavored emerged via Twitter leaker Max J several days before the OnePlus 8T’s official release. Unfortunately, the teaser doesn’t reveal much in the way of what OnePlus has in store for us. However, if previous themed devices are anything to go by, we can expect heaps of UI tweaks, custom animations, and wallpapers, along with black and yellow accents on the body. OnePlus will probably unveil the OnePlus 8T Cyberpunk 2077 edition soon.

The device is expected to be up for pre-order on November 5- two weeks before the Cyberpunk 2077 goes live across all platforms on November 17. It’ll be interesting to see what OnePlus and CD Projeckt Red have in store for us. Samsung and Epic Games teamed up to give Fortnite Mobile players an exclusive Galaxy skin. It would be nice to see a similar promotion with the OnePlus 8T. If the Cyberpunk aesthetic piques your interest, keep your eyes peeled, as OnePlus will only manufacture a limited number of units.

Omnivision is, like Samsung and Sony, a manufacturer that supplies its image sensors to smartphone OEMs. Recently, it has provided Xiaomi with the 48MP main cameras for its Mi 10 Ultra premium device. Now, it has announced the OV64A, a potential upgrade in 64MP modules.

Currently, it is estimated that image sensors of 50MP or greater resolution will represent 322 million unit shipments in 2021. Omnivision intends to grab its piece of that pie with the OV64A, a new CMOS sensor with 1 micron pixels (whereas those of its predecessor the OV64B are 0.7 microns). Its maker asserts that this will improve on functions such as low-light shooting in the newer sensor compared to previous 64MP counterparts.

The new module is made with Omnivision’s latest PureCelPlus-S stacked die technology, and also has an on-chip, 4-cell (4C) color filter array. This may make for clear, real time 64MP Bayer output and 8K video. These new specs also allow for 4C half-shield phase detection, rated for fast autofocus (AF).

The OV64A has a 1/1.34-inch optical format, whereas the OV64B is 1/2-inch and existing counterparts such as the Sony IMX686 and Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 are 1/1.72-inch. The new Omnivision component is also rated for pixel-binning for 16MP images with 4C binning at 60 fps; 8K video at 30 fps; 4K/2K video at 120 fps; 1080p at 240 fps and 720p at 480 fps.

Then again, as with its predecessor, optical image stabilization (OIS) never figures in its specs. Omnivision has stated that OV64A samples are already in the hands of mobile device OEMs, and that it will go into mass production by the last quarter of 2020.

Xiaomi has released yet another teardown video, this time for the Mi 10T Pro. Officially called the Mi 10T Pro 5G, the device features a bevvy of flagship hardware, such as a Snapdragon 865 chipset, UFS 3.1 storage, a 108 MP camera and a 5,000 mAh battery. The company’s teardown video underlines just how complex and irrepairable the Mi 10T Pro is, though.

Xiaomi stresses that one should tear down their Mi 10T Pro, despite making it look easier than it is to disassemble the device. For some reason, the company decided to remove several steps from its short video, including the process for removing the back panel and the battery. The latter appears to have a pull-tab of some sort, but that may not necessarily be the case. Hopefully, Xiaomi has included pull tabs, as that would make the battery easier to replace.

Either way, the fingerprint scanner is replaceable, as are the camera sensors. The 108 MP primary camera dwarfs the other lenses though, explaining why Xiaomi included such a large housing for them. Sadly, Xiaomi has soldered the USB Type-C port to a daughter-board, meaning that you must replace it and the dual-SIM card slot if the Type-C port malfunctions.

The video highlights the cooling efficiency of the Mi 10T Pro too, with Xiaomi focusing on its graphite and copper cooling systems. From what we can tell, Xiaomi has included a sheet of copper over the SoC and a graphite layer behind the display. Beneath this sits a copper heat pipe, which runs through the middle of the device.

Overall, the Mi 10T Pro does not seem that repairable, not least because Xiaomi does not sell any replacement parts for the device. The inclusion of multiple soldered parts emphasises this, which is a shame considering the value for money that the Mi 10T Pro offers.

More renders of the Xiaomi Mi 11 (or Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro even) have appeared on Weibo, and they look vastly different from those that appeared in Chinese media back in July. While there’s still a full-screen display to gaze upon thanks to the widely expected under-display camera unit, the shape of the Mi 11 and its rear-facing camera setup are much different in the latest renders.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 pictured here appears to have a “waterfall” type display that falls gracefully over the sides of the smartphone, which seems to have a surprisingly square-shaped form to it that is somewhat reminiscent of 2013’s Xiaomi Mi 3 device. Curved edges and sides have been de rigueur for the majority of smartphones over recent years, so it would be a daring change for Xiaomi to go “square”.

The rear-facing camera housing looks quite egregious in these Xiaomi Mi 11 renders, which are more likely to be fan-made efforts than leaked images from an official source. With a flagship device like the Mi 10T Pro managing to pack its quad camera system into a neat arrangement, it’s hard to imagine Xiaomi would take a backward step by placing such an unsightly block on the rear. The tech tipster on Weibo also mentions the SD 875 and 150x zoom for the Mi 11, which could see the light of day in the first quarter of 2021.

Despite OnePlus’s two-pronged smartphone release, the OnePlus 8T Pro’s existence has been questioned several times. Although one report suggested that the smartphone was here to stay, the rumor mill’s overwhelming consensus that the OnePlus 8T would be the only H2 2020 flagship from OnePlus. We now know for sure that the OnePlus 8T Pro will not be released later next month.

The information comes from straight from OnePlus CEO Pete Lau via a Weibo post (via Android Authority). Lau directs users who ‘want a Pro-level experience’ to the OnePlus 8 Pro. Based on what we know about the OnePlus 8T so far, we know that it’ll be closer to the OnePlus 8 Pro than the OnePlus 8. For starters, both phones will use the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, which is quite surprising, considering that its predecessors almost always used a Plus variant whenever possible.

It’ll be interesting to see what OnePlus will replace the OnePlus 8 Pro with this time. The most likely candidate at this points seems to be the sub-US$200 OnePlus Clover. We could even see the long-awaited OnePlus Watch make its debut. Renowned leaker Ishan Agarwal speculates that there will be a total of five products release on October 14.

Just ahead of launch, the specifications sheets for the Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro have been seemingly leaked courtesy of tech tipster Sudhanshu Ambhore. It was widely expected the latest Mi 10 smartphones would come with the Snapdragon 865 SoC and a 144 Hz panel, but there is at least one surprise to be found in the datasheets. According to this particular leak, the Mi 10T actually gets 8 GB RAM, when it was widely expected to only get 6 GB. While this is the only version of the regular model mentioned, the Pro variant of the upcoming 5G smartphone will apparently come in two configurations: 8 GB + 128 GB and 8 GB + 256 GB.

The only other differences listed between the Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro are the main camera sensor (64 MP vs. 108 MP with OIS) and the choice of colors: The Mi 10T comes in silver or black while the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro can be clad in black, silver, or blue. The tipster has assured followers that the details are accurate, and while someone has mentioned that the dimensions and weight are slightly incorrect, with the Pro model being a bit bigger and heavier, it appears that the two Mi 10T devices are almost identical.

The potential Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 5G smartphone has kept a much lower profile than the other two Mi 10 devices, but it is also rumored to be coming with a 6.67-inch display. The refresh rate is allegedly lower, at 120 Hz, and a Snapdragon 750G chip has been mentioned. With 6 GB RAM and 64 GB/128 GB storage, 64 MP main camera sensor, and 4,720-mAh battery, the mysterious Mi 10T Lite is nothing to be sniffed at, especially when it is expected to come with a price tag that is under €300 (US$349). Like the Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro, the Lite variant should have a side-mounted fingerprint reader.

Unsurprisingly, the Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro will be pricier than their possible Lite relative, but maybe by not as much as some believe. Various price predictions have been bandied around, with about €550 (US$641) suggested for the Mi 10T and €640-€699 (US$745-US$814) for the Pro model. However, other sources have gone with €499 (US$581) and €599 (US$698), respectively, which also falls in line with rumors we have already reported on. These latter price points would be much more welcome for the upcoming Xiaomi smartphones, with the Mi 10T Pro’s price possibly being even lower considering its similarity to the regular model.

The housing of the Samsung Galaxy M21 is quite plain: Sure, the M21 is well-built for a lower mid-range smartphone, but the design with its smooth, reflective back is not all that exciting.

One can say that with the M21 Samsung focused on the internals: For example, geolocation works very well, the proprietary OneUI launcher makes using the smartphone with smaller hands easier, because it often places intractable elements in the lower half of the screen. The camera system produces passable images with its high-resolution main sensor and its ultra wide-angle lens.

Because the M21 comes with Samsung’s proprietary SoC, which is neither powerful nor energy-efficient, competing smartphones offer a higher level of performance. The Samsung smartphone is able to eke good, but not outstanding, battery runtimes out of its huge 6000-mAh battery. Nevertheless, those who need a long-lasting smartphone cannot go wrong with the M21.

There is an NFC chip for contactless payments and the Wi-Fi module is quite fast. Users should find out what LTE bands are used in each country before traveling there, because the M21 does not support a lot of LTE frequency bands. The microphone has trouble picking up quiet voices, the speaker is not very good and the performance fluctuates under sustained load.

Read our extensive review of the Samsung Galaxy M21 to find out whether it is good enough for gaming and many other things related to it.

Realme seems to have taken the Xiaomi approach towards product launches by flooding the market with a never-ending barrage of devices ranging from smartphones to suitcases. Not too long ago, Realme unveiled its new V line of smartphones with the Realme V5. Realme’s upcoming Q series will soon join it, according to an industry insider.

Well-known leaker Digital Chat Station (via @stufflistings on Twitter) says that the mystery Realme Q smartphone will be unveiled in China on October 13. It will allegedly run a 5G-ready chipset along with an OLED panel, a hole-punch camera, an under-display fingerprint sensor, and a battery that supports fast charging at 65W. The device will likely serve as an intermediate between Realme’s top-of-the-line X and mid-range V series. Much like the Realme V5, the yet-to-be-named Realme smartphone will remain exclusive to China.

Details about Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 775G leaked not too long ago. We can expect the chip to make its debut alongside the Realme Q phone. However, one cannot rule out the possibility of running a Snapdragon 750G or an upcoming MediaTek Dimensity hardware. The chances of it being the latter are a tad higher, as Dimensity chips tend to debut alongside China-only smartphones.

One might be forgiven for having assumed that the launch of the first-gen Samsung foldable would negate the Galaxy W series, made up of flip phones with premium specs that included dual AMOLED displays. However, the OEM proceeded to launch the W20 in this line’s primary market, China. It turned out to be a version of the Fold that mainly distinguished itself with 5G and different rear panels.

Now, it seems this device is getting a successor. 3C has reportedly approved the Samsung SM-W2021 for sale. As the W20 was the SM-W2020, it will probably have Galaxy W21 as a product name. Unfortunately, the new leak can’t tell us much about its specs, besides that it is rated for a maximum charging rate of 25 watts (W).

However, judging by its probable forebear, prospective W21 buyers may be able to expect a folding tablet with a 7.6-inch main AMOLED display with a 120 hertz (Hz) refresh rate; triple main cameras and a new kind of hinge.

Then again, it may also get some kind of elaboration on its specs so as to set it apart from a typical Galaxy Z Fold2. As to its price, the W20 started at 19999 yuan (US$2936) on its launch; the next generation may be no cheaper.

Last week, some alleged Exynos 1000 Geekbench scores showed up online. Its single-core score was in the ‘too good to be true’ territory, as the chip convincingly outperformed a Qualcomm Snapdragon 875. The silicon has made yet another appearance on Geekbench, and the numbers look a lot more somber this time around.

Twitter user Abhishek Yadav stumbled upon what appears to be a Samsung Galaxy S21+ running the Exynos 1000. It snags a single-core score of 1,038 and a multi-core score of 3,060. That is a far cry from the 1,302 and 4,060 scores from last time. However, last year’s Exynos 990 snagged a single-core score of 773, so the Exynos 1000 is at least 20% faster than its predecessor in that regard. Furthermore, the Snapdragon 875 also fares similarly with a single-core score of 1,102, so Samsung isn’t too far off. However, Qualcomm gets ahead in the multi-core department with a score of 4,113. The Galaxy S21’s Geekbench listing also confirms that the Exynos 1000 will be running an ARM Mali G78 GPU, effectively confirming that we may have to wait a bit longer before we see AMD’s GPU in action. 

Considering that the Samsung Galaxy S21+ is still several months from release, there is no way for us to confirm these alleged numbers. The Exynos 1000’s abysmal performance could very well be due to the phone running unstable software. In the weeks leading up to the Galaxy S21 series’ release, the rumor mill will be overflosing with multiple Geekbench scores, so it’s best if we reserve judgment for then. Both chips appear to outperform their respective predecessors by a wide margin. The transition to Samsung’s 5nm EUV process node probably has a part to play in it, along with ARM’s newest Cortex-A1 super core.