OPPO is now projected to launch a Snapdragon 865-powered Reno5 Pro+

Some recent official leaks from TENAA have all but confirmed that successors to the Reno4 and 4 Pro 5G are on their way. However, it seems OPPO is not about to stop there, and is working on a new premium variant for this smartphone series. Provisionally known as the Reno5 Pro+, it is expected to run on the Snapdragon 865 SoC.

This new tip comes courtesy of the Weibo leaker @Whylab via Abishek Yadav on Twitter. Should the English-language translation for this post hold up, it seems the Pro+ will also debut with interesting rear panel choices.

They are apparently finished in either some kind of leather – or, alternatively, an electrochromic material. This may mean that the resulting rear panel may be capable of changing its color or transparency in response to a current acting on it.

Furthermore, Whylab nows seems to have a reason to expect that the Pro+ will have a 50MP main shooter – which, moreover, will come from the heretofore-unreleased Sony IMX7xx series. Therefore, this entire package might sell for a pretty penny.

Then again, consumers in a position to spend less on a new Reno can also potentially consider its 4G variant. It is projected to have the Snapdragon 720G processor. Despite this putative budget choice, it is also predicted to have a 90 hertz (Hz) refresh rate for its 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED display.

This Reno5 4G’s new leak also claims that it will have 64+8+2+2MP cameras, along with a 44MP selfie camera. However, it is also said to have a plastic rear panel and frame. It is currently thought that it, along with its 5G, Pro and Pro+ siblings, might launch as early as December 10, 2020.

Xiaomi Mi Alpha R dual display rollable phone with slick pull-out screen appears in patent

Foldable smartphones could become a thing of the past, again, as more smartphone companies delve deeper into rollable technology. Firms like OPPO have already teased such a flexible device, and unsurprisingly it appears that Xiaomi doesn’t want to be left off this particular bandwagon. LetsGoDigital has found a patent for a rollable phone from Xiaomi that incorporates the dual display design of the Mi Mix Alpha.

Thanks to Jermaine Smit, also known as Concept Creator, we can get a better look at the device, which has been given the moniker Xiaomi Mi Alpha R, in some renders and a video (see below). The smartphone looks just like the Mi Mix Alpha at first glance, but it then shows that it has a retractable or pull-out display due to the inventive utilization of rollable screen technology.

The Mi Alpha R is easily converted from smartphone size to tablet size thanks to the retractable screen, and the mechanism’s construction and design means that the display shouldn’t be obstructed with creases or lines, even when touched. Of course, this is just a patent and therefore the Xiaomi rollable phone might never be produced, but even if it was manufactured you could certainly expect a sky-high price tag for this one.

Leaked Motorola Moto G Stylus (2021) listing confirms specifications and design of upcoming mid-range handset

The first sighting of the next Moto G Stylus has been seen online. Funnily enough, Amazon US published its listing of the device, before swiftly taking it down again. Nonetheless, a contributor on /LEAKS republished a screenshot of the listing and several photos from it, as can be seen below.

The Moto G Stylus (2021) is expected, as its name suggests, to go on sale from next year. The Amazon US listing does not offer all the specifications of the device, but it does provide a few insights. For example, we know that Motorola has equipped it with a 5G chipset, although it is unclear which one it has chosen. Speculatively, we imagine that the Moto G Stylus (2021) will have the Snapdragon 690, seeing as its predecessor, the Moto G Stylus, has the Snapdragon 665.

Amazon US also reports that the new Moto G Stylus has 4 GB of RAM and will ship with Android 10. Additionally, the contributor on /LEAKS adds that the listing described the device having a 4,000 mAh battery. Moreover, the pictures show that the Moto G Stylus (2021) has a 48 MP primary camera, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a USB Type-C port.

Finally, the Moto G Stylus (2021) will retail for US$339.95. It is unclear from when in 2021 the device will be available, though.

The Galaxy F62 will be one of Samsung’s “slimmest” phones on its launch: new leak

The burgeoning Galaxy F series from Samsung is now touted to get a new member called the F62 in the near future. It has popped up in a benchmarking leak thus far, the most interesting aspect of which is possibly its apparent Exynos 9825 SoC: a processor being recycled here from its original appearance as the platform in the Galaxy Note 10 and 10+.

Despite this potential former flagship silicon, it is looking more and more like this Galaxy F62 will be a budget device, especially compared to these phablets. A rear panel that might correspond to the phone has been captured in images posted by 91Mobiles.

They show a particularly generic take on the square rear camera design, with a plain black finish that is clearly a fingerprint magnet and (according to the blog) likely to be made of the OEM’s glasstic in place of anything higher-end.

This F62 – or, as the latest rumors suggest, possibly the E62 instead so as to fit in with its SM-E62F model number – is also now said to be at the mass-production stage at a Samsung facility in Greater Noida, India.

This is (again) a strong hint that it will also debut in this country. It may do so with 6GB of RAM and Android 11 out of the box, although further specs on this potentially upcoming phone remain unknown at this time.

Samsung Galaxy S21 series tipped for new UD fingerprint scanner as FCC confirms Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 versions

More details about the Galaxy S21 series have been revealed ahead of the anticipated launch earlier next year. The designs of the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra have already been revealed this week, and now Ice Universe has revealed details about the state of their primary biometric authentication method.

According to the leaker, the trio of devices will have much faster and larger UD fingerprint scanners than those that Samsung included in the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra. Specifically, Ice Universe claims that Samsung has doubled the speed of its fingerprint sensor between generations, and it should now be fast enough to ‘tap to unlock’ a Galaxy S21 series handset, rather than having to press its screen. The leaker adds that the sensor measures 64 mm², making it 1.77x the size of the sensor found in the Galaxy S20 series.

Additionally, the FCC has inadvertently confirmed that there will be Snapdragon 888 versions of the Galaxy S21 series. As the screenshot below shows, documentation for the Galaxy S21, referred to by its model number SM-G991U, states that it has an SM8350 chipset, which is the model number of Qualcomm’s latest flagship chipset.

The US will be one of the countries in which Samsung sells Snapdragon 888-powered versions of the Galaxy S21 series based on the FCC filing, but it is unclear where else Snapdragon SKUs will appear. Samsung sells the Snapdragon version of the Galaxy S20 FE globally, but there is no indication that this will be the case with future Galaxy S handsets. Other Galaxy S21 series handsets should come with the Exynos 2100, which Samsung has hinted that it will unveil on December 15.

Alleged ASUS ROG Phone 4 Geekbench listing surfaces online

At the Snapdragon 888 launch earlier, Qualcomm confirmed that at least 12 OEMs have committed to using the chipset in their smartphones. It is expected to make its debut alongside the Xiaomi Mi 11 at the end of December 2020. Several Geekbench listings of devices running the silicon have surfaced, giving us a decent idea about its performance. An alleged ASUS ROG Phone 4 Geekbench listing has now shown up online.

Twitter leaker @Stufflistings (via Mysmartprice) stumbled upon what appears to be the ASUS’ upcoming gaming smartphone running the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. Its single and multi-core scores of 1,081 and 3,584 fall in line with the silicon’s earlier Geekbench showings. However, it is unclear if the device in question is indeed the ASUS ROG Phone 4. In all likelihood, it could be the ZenFone 8. After all, ASUS was in the habit of launching its ZenFone-branded flagships before the similarly-specced ROG counterparts until 2019. Very little is revealed about the smartphone in this particular listing, so it’s hard to tell.

If the ASUS ROG Phone 3’s release date is anything to go by, the ASUS ROG Phone 4 might not hit the shelves until August 2021. However, the smartphone appearing on Geekbench this early indicates that ASUS may launch it earlier than usual. Qualcomm seems to have clocked the chipset’s Cortex-X1 core at a conservative 2.8GHz. ASUS can potentially overclock it to run at much higher speeds, thanks to the unique cooling solutions it uses on its gaming smartphones.

AirPods Max over-the-ear headphones with active noise cancellation launched for US$549

Apple has slyly made its entry into the Hi-Fi audio market by launching its new AirPods Max over-the-ear headphones. It comes with all the bells and whistles one would expect out of a high-end audio product and a price to match. The AirPods Max will retail at US$549 on Apple’s official website. You can pre-order your pair now, and shipping is expected to start on December 14.

The Apple AirPods Max comes with a 40mm Neodymium driver custom-designed by Apple. It uses the same H1 chip found in other Apple audio products and employs what Apple calls ‘computational audio’ to deliver a superior listening experience. Some of its features include Adaptive EQ (equalizer) that changes dynamically adjust the frequencies of the audio depending on real-time factors like the fit and seal of the headphones. The included Gyroscope and accelerometer can work in tandem with the AirPods Pro Max’ H1 chip to deliver a surround sound experience by tracking the user’s head movements.

Other AirPods Max features include Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which is made possible via three microphones dedicated for the task. On the flip side of things, there is what Apple calls a ‘Transparency Mode’ too. It allows you to be more aware of your surroundings by letting in some ambient noises. Switching between the mode is seamless and made possible via a tap of a button. The included position sensor automatically pauses music when either earcup is turned or when the headphones are taken off.

Like regular AirPods, the AirPods Max can switch between compatible Apple devices such as an iMac, MacBook, Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, and iPod. Another exciting feature is the ability to ‘share’ an audio stream between two sets of AirPods. The AirPods Max also features a ‘case sensor’ which put the headphones in ultra-low-power mode whenever they are stowed away into the included carrying case.

Apple claims that the AirPods Max can deliver up to 20 hours of battery life with ANC enabled. A cursory glance at the official spec sheet suggests that the headphones can be charged with a Lightning cable directly. Apple has also included a USB-C to Lightning cable inside the box. The headphones even come with an Apple Watch-inspired Crown that can help users adjust volume, change tracks, invoke Siri and the likes. Apple also lets you get a custom engraving on the AirPods Max via its official website.

The AMD Radeon RX 6700M series will have larger dies than the RX 5700 XT

It has been a few weeks since Patrick Schur published information about the mobile variants of the RX 6700 series, but the software engineer has offered yet more insights into the upcoming RDNA 2 cards. According to Schur, Navi 22 GPUs will have 18.31 x 18.27 mm dies, which equates to a size of 334.52 mm². As Wccftech points out, a die size of 334.52 mm² would be over a third larger than the die of the RX 5700 XT.

Additionally, Navi 21 GPUs will offer up to a 192-bit memory interface split across six chips. Apparently, SKUs with a 192-bit bus width will also have a target TGP of 146 W, although Schur has previously claimed that the Navi 22 XT GPU has a TGP of 186-211 W. By contrast, Navi 22 SKUs with 90, 110 and 135 W TGPs will be limited to a 160-bit bus on five memory chips.

AMD supposedly plans to release Navi 23 and Navi 24 mobile GPUs too, which would make Navi 22 the top-end SKUs of the RX 6000M product stack. Navi 22 GPUs are also expected to offer up to 2,560 cores, 40 Compute Units (CUs) and up to 12 GB of VRAM. RX 6000M laptops should begin arriving in the first half of 2021, just in time to challenge NVIDIA’s RTX 30 series options.

The Nokia 5.4’s specs are allegedly revealed in full in a new leak

Nokia still has time to live up to rumors of new hardware launches before 2021 begins. The 5.4 is allegedly one of the devices in question, and, based on its name, may do so to succeed the 5.3. However, according to a new leak, it may not be a direct translation of that phone’s collection of hardware specs.

Earlier tips have indicated that this putative new x.4 smartphone would debut with a 6.39-inch display, much like the Nokia 3.4. A new one claims to confirm this detail – with the additional kicker that it may be an LCD HD+ panel.

It is also now asserted that the 5.4 will have a footprint very similar to the pre-exising budget device: 160.97 x 75.99 x 8.70 millimeters (mm), with a weight of 182 grams (g).

This latest report also claims that the 5.4 will run on the Snapdragon 662 SoC, whereas the 5.3 has the 665, a very similar 11nm processor that could be perceived as superior as all its 8 cores are clocked at 2.2GHz, whereas those of the 662 can start at 1.8GHz instead. Then again, this could make that chip more power-efficient.

That might be as well, as the 5.4 is now apparently destined for a 4000mAh battery. It might improve on the 5.3 in that it has 128GB of internal storage, yet may stick with 4GB of RAM whereas the older handset has 6GB options.

The Nokia 5.4 is also now said to have 48+5+2+2MP quad rear cameras, a 16MP selife camera, a rear-facing fingerprint sensor and (despite its peri-2021 status) Android 10 out of the box. However, its latest leak still does not include a concrete date for its introduction.

HP EliteBook 830 G8 and EliteBook 840 G8 launched with Intel Tiger Lake CPUs, 5G-enabled nano-SIM card slot, and more

HP has launched a new range of Intel Tiger Lake-powered notebooks tailor-made for 24×7 connectivity. The HP EliteBook 830 G8 and EliteBook 840 G8 feature a host of connectivity features including 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6 and 5G, allowing users to stay connected to the internet at all times. HP will divulge more information about the EliteBook 830 G8 and EliteBook 840 G8’s price later this month, as the notebooks are expected to go on sale towards the end of December 2020.

The HP EliteBook 830 G8 and EliteBook 840 G8 come with 11th-generations Intel Tiger Lake CPUs. Both Core i5 and Core i7 variants will be available for purchase, and the top-of-the-line SKU will likely run the Core i7-1165G7 processor. It can be paired with up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM clocked at 3,200MHz and 2TB of solid-state storage via an NVMe SSD. Both RAM slots are user upgradable. Graphics processing is taken care of by an Intel Xe GPU, which has been a standard on most Tiger Lake-powered notebooks without a dedicated graphics card.

The only discernable difference between the HP EliteBook 830 G8 and EliteBook 840 G8 is the screen size. The former comes with a 13.1-inch FHD IPS LCD panel, while the latter has a larger 14-inch screen with the same spec. For an extra price, you can add a layer of what HP calls Sure View Reflect privacy screen, which should help keep the contents of your screen away from prying eyes.

Input options on the HP EliteBook 830 G8 and EliteBook 840 G8 include two Thunderbolt 4.0 ports, one of which can output video, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, one combo audio jack and a nano-SIM card slot. Its 3-cell 53Wh battery supports fast charging at up to 65W via the included charger or any USB PD-complaint device. The included 720p webcam can be paired with optional IR camera for Windows Hello functionality.