Xiaomi Gives Clarification on Banned Apps in India; Will Launch New Version of MIUI

August 7, 2020

Xiaomi banned chinese apps clarification — Image Courtesy: EventEarth

Recently, many budget smartphone companies like Xiaomi and Realme have been under the radar for pre-installing apps in their smartphones. These not only included the banned apps themselves, but also a Cleaner app using the notorious Clean Master definitions. Realme and Poco have already made a public clarification regarding the same, and Xiaomi finally follows suit. Xiaomi India head Manu Kumar Jain took to Twitter to release a statement about the clarification regarding this situation.

Chinese Banned Apps Xiaomi — Image Courtesy: NDTV Gadgets 360

Clarification Given by Xiaomi

Manu Kumar Jain in his tweet that Xiaomi will bring a new version of MIUI free from banned Chinese apps. The clarification statement also says that none of the Xiaomi smartphones can access these banned apps in India for now, and it is working on a newer version of MIUI that won’t include these apps alongside. There will be a gradual rollout of the new software over the next few weeks. You can view the tweet down below:

? Important news about #Xiaomi phones in #India:

1) None of the blocked apps will be available.
2) MIUI Cleaner app is not using Clean Master app banned by Indian Govt.
3) 100% of Indian user data stays in India.

A new version of MIUI coming soon! Please read & be informed. ? pic.twitter.com/2tYHFwKjTG
— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) August 7, 2020

Addressing the issue about Clean Master on its Cleaner app, Xiaomi debunks misinformation claims. The ‘Clean Master’ branding in its Cleaner app used “industry definitions that are vital to the functioning” of the app. Xiaomi claims the term to be a commonly used industry term, not being related to the banned Clean Master app. Further, it has updated the app to remove the mention of these definitions nevertheless to avoid confusion.

Lastly, the post stated how the data of Indian users have only been stored on Indian servers, none of which is shared with anyone. Xiaomi even says that it has noticed the spread of misinformation regarding this issue, and reserves the right to take legal action against any such untrue accusations.

We are not fully convinced by this statement even after Xiaomi’s clarification. Xiaomi’s Cleaner app clearly specifies Cheetah Mobile’s Clean Master to power its features. Moreover, the term ‘Clean Master’ by no means seems like a commonly used industrial term. Lastly, Xiaomi claims all the data of Indian users to have been stored on servers within India “since 2018 and not shared with anyone outside the country”.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020 Announcements

Kirtik Singh

August 6, 2020

Samsung wrapped up its second Galaxy Unpacked event of the year yesterday, with quite a few announcements. Samsung announced the Galaxy Note 20 series, Tab S7, and S7+, Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Buds Live, and the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Quite a mouthful, isn’t it? Well, so were the devices announced. Here’s some information about everything that Samsung unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked 2020.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra

Samsung’s highest-end Note lineup is now refreshed, bringing in the Galaxy Note 20 and the Note 20 Ultra. Both the models come with an improved S-Pen, with the one in Note 20 Ultra having a mere 9 ms response time. Both models also come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ SoC with 5G support in the United States. Other regions only get an inferior Exynos 990 chipset yet again, with only the Note 20 Ultra supporting 5G in India.

The Note 20 Ultra also gets a 108-megapixel primary camera, along with a 12-megapixel periscope 5x telephoto lens. The younger sibling though gets a 64-megapixel telephoto lens with a 12-megapixel primary lens. The Ultra also supports a refresh rate of 120Hz with a 1440p display, but the standard Note 20 has to do away with a 60Hz 1080p display.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

We knew this coming from the renders leaked online, but it came true at Galaxy Unpacked 2020 yesterday. The new Galaxy Z Fold 2 was revealed, with major improvements over its predecessor, the Galaxy Fold. The outer display is much bigger at 6.2 inches, while the inner 7.6-inch display now gets an Infinity-O cutout for the front camera, along with a 120Hz refresh rate. Samsung also says it’s worked on the hinge, which we’ll see once the phone comes out later this year. More details about the Fold 2 along with pricing, will be revealed on September 1.

Galaxy Buds Live

Samsung has unveiled its first take at Active Noise Cancelling Truly Wireless Earbuds with the Galaxy Buds Live. Yes, they are shaped like kidneys, but pack in more tech than you could think of! With Active Noise Cancellation, multi-device pairing, and triple microphones, these compete with the likes of AirPods Pro from Apple.

Galaxy Watch 3

Samsung unveiled its latest iteration of smart wearable, with the Galaxy Watch 3 yesterday. It has one of the best designs of any smartwatch on the market and is loaded with functionality. The watch will be available in 41mm and 45mm skews, at around $70 higher than its predecessors.

Galaxy Tab S7

With the slow demise of Android tablets over the years, Samsung is still trying to make a mark. To be honest, it might just succeed with the Galaxy Tab S7. The Galaxy Tab S7 has features that are compelling enough to something like the iPad Pro, coming in 2 sizes – 11-inch and 12.4-inch. Both tablets run on Android 10 on the Snapdragon 865+ and feature 120Hz displays. The smaller 11-inch variant has an LCD display, while its larger 12.4-inch skew has an OLED panel.

Lastly, Samsung announced a 3-generation Android update cycle for its phones, keeping up with the Pixel and OnePlus devices in terms of long term use. This though, will be limited to its flagship devices starting from the Galaxy S10. We will be posting more information as we receive it regarding the same.

Images Courtesy: Tech Crunch

Apple Updates iMac Lineup with SSDs, Nano Texture Displays, and More

Kirtik Singh

August 6, 2020

iMac Pro gets Update in SSD, CPU, Display, and More...

Its been a while since Apple last updated its iMac lineup, and they finally did it. They announced these changes in their Press Release where you can learn in-depth about the upgrades. The majority of updates have been made to the 27-inch version of the iMac, including newer display, graphics performance, and more.

Apple iMac Updated for the 27 inch Version — Image Courtesy: Apple Newsroom

Updates to the 27-inch iMac

The first update to the 27-inch iMac is relative to its performance. With Apple finally using Intel’s latest 6/8 core processors, along with an option to get up to 10 processor cores in the 27-inch version of the iMac. The maximum memory or RAM limit is also now doubled to 128GB. GPU performance has also got a raise with AMD’s Radeon Pro 5000 graphics. These offer up to 55 percent better performance compared to previous models which came with Radeon Pro Vega 48 graphics.

On the storage front, all the new models get SSD’s for storage instead of the slower Fusion Drives used previously. The maximum storage you can get is also 4 times more than previous iMac’s with up to 8TB of fast SSD drives. For security, Apple even added its custom-built T2 security chip, used in MacBooks earlier. This offers secure boot and file encryption on the SSD drives, to ensure you are secure and safe.

The display is still of 5K resolution as before but now has a nano-texture glass option. This was first seen in Apple’s Pro Display XDR and is said to minimize reflections. The display now also supports True Tone technology, adjusting white balance according to lighting conditions of the room. The FaceTime camera is now of 1080p resolution for better clarity and image quality. Apple also claims the T2 chip brings tone mapping, exposure control, and face detection, as well as a better audio experience. Lastly, the new iMac 27-inch has a new studio-quality microphone array, just like the latest MacBooks.

Upgrades to the 21-inch iMac and iMac Pro

Apple also announced some simple but essential upgrades to the 21-inch iMac and iMac Pro. The 21-inch iMac now comes standard with SSDs across the board, while users can still add Fusion Drives is they wish to. The iMac Pro update is regarding its processor, as it comes with a standard 10-core Xeon processor now.

Google Explains How The Live HDR+ and Dual Exposure Controls on Pixel 4 and 4a Work

Punkaj Kumar

August 5, 2020

Google Explains How The Live HDR+ and Dual Exposure Controls on Pixel 4 and 4a Work

Google’s new Pixel 4a supports Live HDR+ and Dual Exposure features. The features were first introduced by Google on the Pixel 4. After the launch of the Pixel 4a, the tech giant has published a detailed blog post which explains how these features work.

First, what is Live HDR+? It is a name given to a technology that shows the real-time preview of what the final HDR+ photo will look like. It shows a live preview of a final HDR+ image using artificial intelligence.

The original HDR+ imaging is a method to capture scenes from a wide range of brightness and exposure. It takes 3-15 underexposed photos, aligns them, and then merges them all to create a single enhanced image.

Google says that because of the challenge in computing 30 frames per second in real-time, they have improved the viewfinder using a machine-learning-based approximation. Alongside this, they have also created dual exposure controls that separately adjust the rendition of shadows and highlights. These two features combined provide the HDR imaging with real-time creative control.

What is HDR+ and How it Works

Comparison of Linear RGB Image and HDR+ — Image courtesy: Google Blog

Google explains in its official AI blog post that when the user presses the shutter in the Pixel camera app, it captures 3-15 underexposed images. The multiple images are then aligned and merged to reduce noise in the shadows. The resulting image is a 14-bit intermediate “linear RGB image” having pixel values proportional to the scene brightness. The HDR+ process is too slow, and hence Google has come up with the new Live HDR+, using a new algorithm.

Need for Live HDR+ and Its Working

Google Pixel Linear HDR vs HDR+ — Image courtesy: Google Blog

The current mobile chipsets lack the computational power to do the 30 times per second imagery, but now a dash of AI is used. It slices the image into small tiles and predicts the tone mapping for each one of them. Then on the viewfinder, every pixel is computed as a combination of the tone maps from the nearest tiles.

The HDR+ automatically balances the highlights and shadows. On the other hand, the Dual Exposure sliders give the user manual control over the process. Now you can get the desired look for your photo in the camera app itself. Earlier, it was done afterward by processing the raw file.

If you are looking for a more detailed explanation of how all of this process works, you may follow the source link to Google’s official blog post.

Oxygen OS 11 Final Developer Preview Goes Live on August 10

Kirtik Singh

August 5, 2020

OnePlus Oxygen OS 11 Final Developer Build

In its community post, OnePlus shared details about the Final Developer Build of Oxygen OS 11, based on Android 11. This isn’t the first time OnePlus has gone early with the next version of Android. OnePlus is known for its speedy updates, and started pushing out Android 10 to its devices within a month of its release.

Oxygen OS 11 Image — Image Courtesy: 9to5Google

OnePlus has already had a Developer Preview Program which applied to users of the OnePlus 8 series. Now, the updates of the release of the final developer build point out to OnePlus planning an Open Beta Oxygen OS 11 rollout as well. OnePlus users have appreciated the Company’s approach to releasing speedy software updates.

OnePlus Oxygen OS Updates in the Past

If you follow the domain of technology, you’d know that OnePlus is one of the only manufacturers to support their devices with the latest updates for a long time. This is not only great for using a device for a longer period but also updates users with the latest features on phones that they bought in the past. In fact, OnePlus has stepped up their game lately, providing 3 years of major Android version updates for some of their devices. That is when they claimed up to 2 years of these updates. Great, isn’t it?

The OnePlus 5/5T received the latest Android 10 update, which was their 3^rd Android update since launch. Similarly, the OnePlus 3T received Android 9 as its 3^rd update. Both these devices got more updates than initially claimed! If this holds true, we can see the OnePlus 6 and 6T to get the latest Android 11 update as well.

Android 11 Oxygen OS 11 Final Developer Preview — Image Courtesy: Marques Brownlee via YouTube

What’s New in Oxygen OS 11?

Pete Lau revealed that the Final Developer Build would give “a small group of our most technically-inclined community members a chance to start testing out some of the new features”. The Open Beta release would then follow suit as the company receives feedback from these people. Oxygen OS 11 would feature all the latest features from Android 11 like improved security, media controls, etc. Apart from that, Lau also hinted towards improved design elements, and “highly anticipated features”.

We could finally see Always-On display functionality with Oxygen OS 11, as well as other suggestions taken from the Open Ears forum earlier this year. OnePlus has said that the Final developer build would be available on August 10. We shall soon be expecting to receive the Open Beta soon and will keep you posted regarding the same.

Samsung Galaxy S20, Galaxy Note 10 Devices Receive Accessibility Seal from the ONCE Foundation

Punkaj Kumar

August 4, 2020

Samsung Galaxy S20 & Galaxy Note 10 Devices Receive Accessibility Seal from the ONCE Foundation — Image: Samsung

Among the smartphone companies, Samsung is a leading manufacturer that produces high standard devices. Today, Samsung announced that the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 10 smartphones have received the accessibility certification from ONCE Foundation. ONCE Foundation is an NGO based in Spain, called NGO Fundación ONCE (the ONCE Foundation). Fundación ONCE, in collaboration with universal accessibility consultancy, ILUNION Tecnología y Accesibilidad offers Amovil seal to the commercially available smartphones that meet the Universal accessibility standards.

Samsung Accessibility Certified Devices

The electronics manufacturing giant has now become the first smartphone brand to receive the ONCE Foundation’s seal of accessibility. The devices which meet the universal accessibility standards include the two Galaxy series. Galaxy Note 10 Lite, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy Note 10+, Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and the Galaxy S20 Ultra have received the seal from the foundation. It means that these phones from Samsung are easy to use for people who have disabilities.

What Do These Phones Offer

According to Samsung, the company was in close collaboration with the ONCE Foundation. These certifications are a result of such close collaboration. The certified Galaxy smartphones offer accessibility features for people with disabilities. People with moderate and severe manipulation difficulties, speech difficulties, zero and partial hearing, zero and partial vision, and can use Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 10. These phones also include the comprehensive accessibility menu with which users can easily find the features that they are looking.

Samsung says that its commitment to accessibility is a part of its corporate program called Tecnología con Propósito. This program aims to positively impact the maximum possible number of people by harnessing technology. The company also adds that in Spain, its efforts already extend to some areas like education, welfare, and entrepreneurship. The company said it is constantly seeking partnerships with prominent associations like the ONCE Foundation, and others to promote inclusion and technological progress.

Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 Will Not be Released in India

Kirtik Singh

August 4, 2020

Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 will not be available in India

Google revealed one of its hottest and most anticipated phones yesterday, the Pixel 4a. There was no launch event, just an announcement, with an amazing price of $349. However, there was no information about the availability or sale dates of the phone in any of the countries. We will also see a 5G version of the Pixel 4a later this year.

The main doubt about the Pixel 4a was about its availability in India. Because the Pixel 4 series was not released in India due to the Motion Sense capabilities, we doubted if the Pixel 4a will see a launch either. However, Google cleared the way by saying that the Pixel 4a will be available in India starting October.

Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 Availability

With the launch of Pixel 4a, Google also announced the launch of its future phones, the Pixel 4a 5G and the Pixel 5. These phones were teased at the end of a GIF which Google showed on Twitter, and can be seen here.

Google later confirmed that these 5G enabled devices will not be available in India and Singapore. Here is what the press release said, as we quote:

“Regarding the two new 5G Pixel phones that were announced globally today, these will not be available in India or Singapore, based on a variety of factors including local market trends and product features. We remain deeply committed to our current Pixel phones and look forward to bringing future Pixel devices to these countries.”

Pixel 5G devices not Available in India or Singapore

The reason behind not bringing the Pixel 5 or Pixel 4a 5G devices to India is pretty simple. India will not be having 5G network availability anytime soon, and 5G devices usually cost a premium. Since Google Pixel devices are usually priced higher in India compared to other countries anyway, it won’t be a very sensible decision launching something like that in India.

At the same time, it is strange of the Pixel 5 to not be launched in India. A reason for this could be the return of the Motion Sense feature just like Pixel 4, thus avoidance of an Indian launch. The radar powered Motion Sense feature would clearly mean the Pixel 5 would avoid the Indian market as a whole.

Google Pixel 4a Specs Leak Ahead of Its Launch, Will Cost $349 — Image Courtesy: Google

Pixel 4a Availability in India

Pixel 4a is, however, a 4G powered device and we should see it launching in India, as Google confirmed. However, what’s disappointing is its delay, until October. The Pixel 4a is anyway powered by a lower segment Snapdragon 730 chipset. By the time it comes to India, other brands would’ve launched phones with way better specifications. It is to be seen if the Pixel 4a can leave a mark in India when it launches. We do not have any word about its Indian pricing yet. To be fair, the Pixel 4a can sell well in India, depending on how Google decides to price it.

Redmi 9 Prime Launch: What We Know So Far

Kirtik Singh

August 3, 2020

Redmi 9 Prime Launch Event on 4th August

Redmi 9 Prime is Going to Launch in India on 4^th August. Will be Sold Exclusively via Amazon and Mi.com.

Redmi is launching budget-oriented smartphones one after another and the Redmi 9 Prime is the newest one. The Redmi 9 Prime is a budget smartphone that will target audience below Redmi’s Note series of phones. Thus, pricing can be expected to be lower than ₹ 11,999. Given Xiaomi’s inclusion of the following in Amazon’s Prime Day Launches, we can expect it to go on sale during the 2 day Amazon Prime Day event. The company hasn’t shared much about the phone and its specifications, but we do have a brief idea about it which we put together here.

Redmi 9 Prime Launch Time, Details, Sale

The Redmi 9 Prime will be launched via an online live stream, starting 12 noon on 4^th August 2020. Like always, we expect it to be streamed via Youtube, mi.com, Amazon.in, etc. The Redmi 9 Prime will be sold in India via Amazon, mi.com, Mi retailers, and Mi Home outlets. Pricing, though not officially revealed, would be less than ₹ 11,999. We expect the phone to be priced starting ₹ 9,999 for the base variant. Manu Kumar Jain, Xiaomi’s India head also tweeted about the phone as you can see below:

Redmi 9 Prime Specifications

Xiaomi hasn’t revealed much about the Redmi 9 Prime, but here is what we expect it to come with. Considering their track record, Xiaomi is known to rebrand most of their phones worldwide. Similarly, rumors suggest the Redmi 9 Prime be a rebrand of the global Redmi 9 which came in June. Xiaomi India head, Manu Kumar Jain revealed via Twitter, the one specification which is confirmed as of now – a Full HD+ display. This is similar to the Redmi 9 global variant, so we expect the rest to be similar amongst both devices too.

If Redmi 9 Prime is indeed the Redmi 9 global, other specifications would include a MediaTek Helio G80 processor, and up to 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The phone would likely be having a 6.53-inch display and a 5020 mAh battery, along with a USB Type-C port for charging. We doubt Xiaomi to bundle an 18W fast charger in the box, but the phone should have support for it.

There would be a quad-camera setup to the back with a 13-megapixel primary shooter, a 5-megapixel macro camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide, as well as a depth sensor. To the front, we can see an 8-MP shooter. We will likely be seeing Xiaomi retain the IR blaster, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Samsung Launches UV Sterilizer in India, Supports Wireless Charging

Punkaj Kumar

August 3, 2020

Samsung Launches UV Sterilizer in India, Supports Wireless Charging

In today’s challenging times, when the COVID pandemic has taken over the control of the world, demand for UV sterilizers is rising. Various companies are selling UV sterilizers in the market. Some companies are coming up with some new types of UV sterilizers. Among many others, Samsung is one such company to offer UV Sterilizers. Recently, Samsung launched a new UV sterilizer in India. The main highlight of this particular UV sterilizer from Samsung is that it comes with wireless charging support. The company has fixed a price tag of ₹3,599 for the new UV sterilizer. It will be available at all retail channels, including Samsung’s online store.

Design of Samsung UV Sterilizer

According to Samsung, the UV sterilizer can disinfect smartphones, wireless earbuds, and smartwatches in just 10 minutes. The sterilizing device is compact and lightweight and can be carried anywhere the users want. Samsung has designed the device to fit a variety of product sizes so users can sterilize as many products as they want to. The box is fitted with dual UV lights that sterilize both the top and bottom surface of items placed inside.

Features and Usability

There is a single button to switch the UV sterilizer on and off. The device turns automatically off after 10 minutes. As per the official Samsung source, two independent certification institutes, namely Intertek and SG, have done the tests on their product. The tests claim that the UV sterilizer can effectively kill up to 99 percent of the bacteria and germs. These microorganisms include E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans.

The UV Sterilizer also comes with a 10W wireless charger that can charge Galaxy Smartphone, Galaxy Buds, or other devices. The charging continues even after the sanitization is complete. As a result, it keeps your device always disinfected, charged, and ready to use.

Pricing & Availability

The new UV Sterilizer from Samsung is priced at ₹3,599 and will be available at all retail channels, including the official Samsung Online Store. Also, you can visit the online Samsung Shop and check the nearby Samsung stores in your area.

Google Pixel 4a Specs Leak Ahead of Its Launch, Will Cost $349

Punkaj Kumar

August 2, 2020

Google recently released a teaser of its upcoming phone, the Pixel 4a and announced August 3 as its launch date. The much anticipated, affordable phone is going to launch tomorrow. But just ahead of its launch, more press renders and a leak have confirmed its specs, price, and availability. A teenage leaker, Ishan Agarwal has shared the latest images over on Twitter and has leaked the specifications. Many specifications match the earlier leaks that we shared a few days ago. The new leaks also show a one-color design from various angles.

Pixel 4a Specifications

So, coming directly to the specifications in the latest leak, Google Pixel 4a will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chipset. It will feature a 6GB RAM coupled with 128GB of internal storage. The phone is packed with a 3,140mAh battery power and supports 18W fast charging.

Pixel 4a sports a 5.81-inches FHD+ HDR OLED display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The rear camera setup is similar to that of the Pixel 4 series’ main sensor. There will be a 12.2 MP rear camera with a 77-degree field of view. With this, you’ll be able to shoot a video in 4K UHD at 30fps and 1080p FHD at 120fps.

In the front, an 8 MP selfie camera is fixed at an upper-left cutout. It will have a field of view of 84-degrees. The press renders also confirm Pixel 4a to be the first Google device that will come with a punch-hole display.

Price and Availability

Mr. Agarwal also shared the price of the Pixel 4a in the leak through his tweet. The smartphone will go on sale in the United States at $349. The pricing for other countries is not yet known. The phone will be launched tomorrow in the US, UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia, Japan, and Canada.

There is currently no information on its India release as of now but, we expect it to be sometime later, hopefully.

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