Category: Cell Phone

The Moto E7 has arrived, a few months after Motorola announced the Moto E7 Plus. The new budget handset will be available from next month in Europe for just €110, so it should come as no surprise to learn that Motorola has made some compromises to keep costs down.

Motorola has, for example, equipped the Moto E7 with a MediaTek Helio G25 chipset, along with 2 GB of RAM. The former integrates eight ARM Cortex-A53 cores and an IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU. There is also 32 GB of onboard storage, and a 4,000 mAh battery that can recharge at up to 10 W. Motorola has included a microSD card reader too, should you need additional storage.

The display of the Moto E7 is identical to the Plus version though, with a 6.5-inch IPS panel included. The display operates natively at 1,600 x 720 pixels and is joined by a 5 MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture.

Additionally, the Moto E7 has a 48 MP primary camera (f/1.7) and a 2 MP macro sensor. We suspect that the 48 MP camera will be taking most of the photos on the Moto E7 though, given the lowly megapixel count of the macro camera.

Finally, Motorola has integrated a fingerprint sensor within its logo. There is even Bluetooth 5.0 support, a USB Type-C port and a 3.5 mm jack. The Moto E7 will be available outside of Europe, too.

New Redmi phones are officially set to launch soon. However, it seems one member of this group has broken cover ahead of this event. A new Xiaomi device called the M2007J22C has appeared on Geekbench with specs previously predicted for the Note 9 5G.

They include a processor called the ARM MT6853T, believed to be the Dimensity 800U processor. This is due to findings that the GPU in question here is the Mali-G57 – although it must be noted that the same is also present in the Dimensity 720 processor.

Should it be the 800U, however, it would put the new Redmi Note on par with the Realme X7 (or 7 5G for the European market). However, the newer phone is rumored to be the cheaper of the two on its launch.

This new leak may show that the Redmi Note 9 5G has at least 8GB of RAM and, slightly disappointingly, runs Android 10. Therefore, it might prove a compelling new prospect for Chinese consumers when it launches in that market. It is also now touted to do so as the Note 9T in other markets once this event is complete.

Although Huawei has already received some licenses to trade with US companies, it cannot purchase high-end chipsets from Qualcomm, with Huawei restricted to Qualcomm’s 4G chipset portfolio, instead. Equally, Huawei cannot produce new Kirin chipsets through companies like TSMC, leaving it at a loss when it comes to releasing new flagship smartphones. 

The P50 series is thought to be Huawei’s next flagship series, but it may be in short supply because of Huawei’s inability to source new 5G chipsets. According to The Elec, Huawei plans to use its HiSilicon Kirin 9000 SoC, which debuted on the Mate 40 series.

The Kirin 9000 offers eight cores separated into three clusters. The prime Cortex-A77 core offers the best single-core performance with a peak clock speed of 3.31 GHz, while three additional Cortex-A77 cores can reach 2.54 GHz. Huawei has complemented these Cortex-A77 cores with another four Cortex-A55 cores, along with a Mali-G78 MP24 GPU. The Kirin 9000 is one of the first chipsets to be built on a 5 nm process, too.

Ultimately, the use of the Kirin 9000 in the P50 series may explain why Mate 40 series devices are so few and far between. Huawei will have access to components from LG Display and Samsung Display though, with both companies having been granted trading licenses by the US government. However, the P50 series will still arrive with Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) instead of Google Mobile Services (GMS), which means no Play Store or Google account integration.

Huawei has certified the Mate X2 with the TENAA in China. Specifically, the Chinese company has approved the TET-AN00 and TET-AN10, which appear to be two SKUs of the same device. Details about the Mate X2 remain sparse, but the TENAA offers a few nuggets of information about the upcoming foldable smartphone.

On the one hand, the TENAA confirms that the Mate X2 will launch with Android. This means that Huawei will release the device on EMUI 11, rather than HarmonyOS. The Mate X2 will also support up to 66 W fast charging, as we previously reported. Both models will support dual-SIM connectivity, too.

Moreover, the Mate X2 will be a 5G device. Huawei cannot currently source 5G chipsets from Qualcomm, so we suspect the Mate X2 to arrive with the Kirin 9000, along with the forthcoming P50 series.

The TENAA does not describe any other elements of the Mate X2, nor does it offer any pictures of the device. However, Huawei is expected to equip it with an 8.03-inch and 120 Hz display. The Mate X2 should arrive in early 2021.

The pop-up selfie camera is a prominent alternative to the display notch or punch-hole camera. It keeps the upper part of a smartphone screen free of either and deploys a front-facing shooter at need. These modules are usually small square modules that rise from the top edge of a device using motors at need.

However, there are a couple of departures from this shape out there, particularly the wedge-cam found in the first- and second-gen Reno and Reno 10x Zoom. Now, it seems their maker OPPO has patented a new idea along the same lines. 

This document had been filed with the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) earlier in 2020. It depicts a triple-rear-camera phone with a selfie camera found in a semi-circle peeping over the top bezel of its display. Further diagrams show that the rest of this shape seems to be present in an internal housing that is also attached to the main cameras.

These illustrations also suggest that the front-facing shooter is deployed via a spinning action, controlled through a release mechanism on one side. Therefore, OPPO may launch a phone with this unique type of pop-up in the near future.

This find has also led to speculation that the same device will be a new Reno with this series’ rumored next-gen 15x Hybrid zoom. However, nothing of that sort is certain at this time.

It seems Digital Chat Station is keeping a close eye on the Xiaomi Mi 11 development and has offered up a couple of new tidbits about the expected Pro variant of the series, which may or may not even be named the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro. Apparently, the main lens can convert images (via 4-in-1 pixel binning) to “approximately 50 MP”, which suggests the camera will be 192 MP or even 200 MP.

The tipster further states that the Mi 11 Pro’s telephoto sensor may also utilize 4-in-1 pixel binning to produce 12 MP images, suggesting that there is a 48 MP telephoto lens onboard, although Digital Chat Station is unsure about this particular detail. There is no further information offered for the regular Xiaomi Mi 11, although it was recently rumored that the likely Snapdragon 875-powered flagship would sport a 48 MP ultra wide-angle lens.

On top of the camera information, the same source also gave up some details about the viewing technologies that should be found in the Xiaomi Mi 11 and Mi 11 Pro, provided by the presence of the latest MIUI 12 firmware build. For a start, users can apparently expect to enjoy the benefits of MEMC technology, which uses motion compensation software to deliver a smoother moving image. There is also mention of “video real-time SDR to HDR and video super resolution” along the same lines as what is offered up by the OPPO Find X2 series, which has been praised for its Ultra Vision display.

The last few years has seen an inexorable trend toward unremittingly square or rectangular housings for the rear camera arrays of smartphones. These “humps” have become a dominant feature in some 2020 models, and apparently threaten to start engulfing frames as well in 2021. However, one OEM, LG, seems poised to start a new trend instead: the triangular rear camera.

This feature is heavily alluded to in CAD renders with which the blog 91Mobiles has allegedly been furnished. These images are touted as associated with the Q63 and/or Q83, which may turn out to be mid-rangers for the coming year. They distinctly show a generic candybar form-factor (USB type C charging port, bottom-firing speaker grille, side-mounted fingerprint reader and all) but with rear cameras showcased in a triangular module.

The interesting schematics also give the impression that the resulting phone could have a unibody chassis, perhaps made of metal or plastic, with the new hump acting as a “window” (probably made of glass) for the rear cameras. Of these, one is a markedly large concentric circle with 4 smaller ones (up to 3 of which could also be sensors) arranged around it.

Should this leak prove genuine, it may be a refreshing change from the regular protrusions seen up until now. With the Velvet and screen-swiveling Wing, LG has already shown it can pull off departures from typical smartphone looks. Hopefully, this new Q-series phone will prove to be more of the same.

Xiaomi has released a lot of flagships this year, but they all have their compromises. The Mi 10 Ultra may well be the jewel in the crown, but Xiaomi does not sell it outside of China. The Mi 10T Pro is the company’s most recent flagship, but it pairs a 144 Hz refresh rate with IPS display technology, rather than the richer AMOLED technology that it uses in other smartphones like the Mi 10 Pro. The latter impressed us when we reviewed it earlier this year, but its 90 Hz refresh rate pales in comparison to newer flagships with AMOLED screens. These three Xiaomi smartphones are all restricted to 1080p too, which is not much of a flagship resolution these days.

The Mi 11 Pro may change all of that though, according to Digital Chat Station. Last month, the leaker claimed that Xiaomi had purchased a ‘2K high refresh screen’, which they have now expanded upon. Apparently, the Mi 11 Pro will have a curved screen and a punch-hole, just like the Mi 10 Pro did this year. Digital Chat Station adds that the size of the punch-hole will be comparable to the one in the Mi 10 Pro, which is about as large as other punch-holes.

A 1440p (QHD) resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate would be an improvement from the 1080p and 90 Hz panel in the Mi 10 Pro, though. Additionally, the Mi 11 Pro is expected to feature the Snapdragon 875 chipset, which Qualcomm is expected to announce next month. Hence, the Mi 11 Pro should offer a healthy performance over the Mi 10 Pro, too.

OnePlus Nord news and rumors is flying in at present. This series of smartphones has been augmented with the budget N10 and N100 models. Furthermore, leaks pointing to an upcoming new variant have now been joined with hints of another. This one is not an SE model, but a full-fledged successor to the original flagship allegedly planned to launch in 2021.

It will apparently be called the OnePlus Nord 2, although the code-name denniz has also been mentioned. As the first generation’s own nick-name was avicii, to honor the late Swedish DJ, the 2 may have been called after another: Denniz Pop.

This Nord 2 is also now said to have the Snapdragon 775 or 775G as an SoC. It is also projected to have a screen with a high refresh rate: as the Nord has one at 90Hz, it is possible this could step up to 120Hz in its successor. Similarly, the 2 is touted to have a charging speed of at least 30 watts.

This, in OnePlus terms, means Warp Charge 30, although there may just be scope for the 65 version instead in a next-gen premium mid-ranger., Finally, the Nord 2 is (reasonably) predicted to run OxygenOS 11 out of the box.

Google has had a somewhat pared-back yea, having opted against releasing a smartphone with a flagship SoC. Nonetheless, it has now unveiled a new colour option of the Pixel 4a, having dropped some heavy hints on its Instagram account over the weekend. The new colour is called Barely Blue, and appears to be the colour that two French retailers listed in June. There are some major caveats to its release, though.

For the time being, the Barely Blue model will only be available in the US. Android Authority claims that Google will begin selling the Barely Blue Pixel 4a in Japan from early 2021. However, Google will also only sell it as an unlocked handset.

Finally, the Barely Blue edition will only be available while stocks last. Apparently, there will be no restocks once it sells out. Google has priced the new colour option at US$349 but has not indicated how many units it has produced.