Category: Mobile

Oppo has been making headlines with its new premium mid-range Reno7 series. The brand has unveiled the Reno7 Pro and the Reno7 SE alongside the vanilla Reno7 in China. A special edition variant namely Reno7 Pro League Of Legends was also added to the new series. Now, the company has thrown in another new edition in the mix. But this time it’s a limited edition of the vanilla Reno7. Called Reno7 New Year Edition, the latest model brings a new skin but identical hardware as the standard model.

Oppo Reno7 New Year Edition: Here’s What’s New

The Oppo Reno7 New Year Edition has been launched in China to mark the celebrations of the coming 2022. The USP of this special edition Reno7 is the Red Velvet shade. In fact, the device itself offers a velvet texture unlike the traditional matte or glossy feel you get on most of the mid-range and premium smartphones. The camera module at the back panel is wrapped with a golden lining which isn’t present on the standard model.

The additional design highlight on the Reno7 New Year Edition is the tiger logo placed alongside the Oppo labeling. This symbolizes the Year of the Tiger (2022) for the Chinese population. The new special edition will be up for pre-registrations starting December 27 in China.

The company hasn’t confirmed the sale dates but it should soon follow. The global availability of this device is however uncertain; especially for the Indian market. We speculate this basis the fact that this is a Ney Year Edition and the company plans to launch this handset once the celebrations are over in the country.

Oppo Reno7 Specifications: Are There Any Changes?

The answer is no, The Oppo Reno7 New Year edition is announced with the same set of internals as the standard Reno7. You’ll get an AMOLED display measuring 6.43-inches with 1080p FHD+ screen resolution and a higher 90Hz refresh rate. The optics at the back will comprise a 64MP primary camera paired up with an 8MP ultrawide angle sensor and a 2MP macro sensor.

The display sports a punch-hole cutout that stores a 32MP camera for selfies and video calling and has an f/2.0 aperture. The device offers an in-display fingerprint scanner and ships with Android 11 OS wrapped around ColorOS 12 UI.

This special edition model is equipped with the same mid-range Snapdragon 778G game-centric processor. Configurations available would be up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. Lastly, a 4,500 mAh battery with quick charging support will keep the lights on.

Smartphone OEMs have already started working on their next-generation flagship devices powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. Xiaomi 12 series is one of the upcoming lineups which is expected to debut soon with Qualcomm’s latest premium mobile chipset. Xiaomi itself gave an official confirmation on the processor driving the Xiaomi 12 and the Xiaomi 12 Pro and the launch date.

Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12 Pro Official Launch Date Confirmed

Xiaomi via its official Weibo handle has announced the upcoming Xiaomi 12 series launch. The Chinese tech giant will be taking the wraps off the Xiaomi 12 and the Xiaomi 12 Pro on December 28. Both devices are making their debut initially in China. The global launch will follow (likely Q1 2022).

The teaser poster shared by the company on the Chinese microblogging website shows athlete Su Bingitian on the cover page along with the aforementioned launch date. The name and number of the models being announced in this flagship lineup haven’t been revealed.

Rumors are rife the brand will be introducing atleast two models namely Xiaomi 12 and the Xiaomi 12 Pro. However, a separate report via Gizmochina suggests another variant dubbed Xiaomi 12X in the mix. As per the publication, this additional variant has been spotted via posts shared by Lei Jun and Wang Teng, Xiaomi’s founder and General Manager respectively.

There have been some sightings of the Xiaomi 12X in the past, but not much is known at the moment. As for the remaining two models, they both have been certified by multiple mobile authentication platforms. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor is confirmed for the Xiaomi 12 and the Xiaomi 12 Pro. It is speculated the Xiaomi 12X will be packed with the Snapdragon 870 SoC which is also a flagship 5G processor.

All the upcoming Xiaomi 12 series models are also confirmed to boot on Android 12 OS layered with the new MIUI 13 skin. Upto 120W rapid charging is also one of the highlights of the new flagship lineup.
Rumors have also hinted at a curved display design with 1080 x 1920 FHD+ resolution. This could be for the Xiaomi 12 Pro. Camera hardware tipped for the Xiaomi 12 is a 50MP main snapper. But, an official confirmation on the same is awaited.

iQOO has launched two new Neo series smartphones in China. The latest from the company’s lot is the Neo 5S and the Neo 5 SE. Both smartphones have been designed for gaming enthusiasts and are packed with top-grade hardware such as Snapdragon 888/ Snapdragon 870 SoC, up to 144Hz display, and fast charging supported batteries. Below is what the new iQOO devices offer and their pricing details:

iQOO Neo 5S, iQOO Neo 5 SE Full Hardware Details

Starting with the iQOO Neo 5S, this is the high-end model amongst the two. It uses the Snapdragon 888 processor as its brain of operations. The flagship Qualcomm chipset has octa-cores and 5G network support and is combined with up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM. The handset offers up to 256GB UFS 3.1 storage capacity.

The gaming experience will be improved with the heat dissipation system which will keep the device’s temperature in check during extensive gameplay. It will boot on Android 12 OS and will have Origin OS UI pre-installed. The iQOO Neo 5S display is an AMOLED panel that measures 6.56-inches and supports a 120Hz refresh rate. The screen resolution here is 1080P FHD+.

In terms of optics, the iQOO Neo 5S uses three rear cameras and a single selfie snapper. The former setup comprises a 48MP Sony IMX598 main sensor with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), a 13MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor. For selfies and video calling it packs a 16MP camera inside the punch-hole cutout.

If we speak of the connectivity options, the iQOO Neo 5S features 5G, 4G LTE, a USB Type-C port, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. The security aspect is taken care of by a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The battery packed inside this model has a 4,500 mAh rated capacity clubbed with 66W fast charging.

Moving on to the iQOO Neo 5 SE, this variant packs the Snapdragon 870 SoC which we also saw on the iQOO 7. The chipset here is also coupled with upto 12GB RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. The display here measures 6.3-inches. However, the brand has used an LCD panel instead of AMOLED. The refresh rate is higher than the iQOO Neo 5S, i.e, 144Hz.

The software is also the same as the Neo 5S (Android 12-based on Origin OS). This model uses liquid cooling technology for heat dissipation. The optics are also slightly different from the Neo 5 SE. This model features a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a 2MP sensor. The selfie snapper is identical here to the above model, i.e, a 16MP sensor. The battery capacity is the same (4,500 mAh).

iQOO Neo 5S, iQOO Neo 5 SE Price, Availability Details

The iQOO Neo 5S’ low-end variant which packs 8GB RAM and 128GB storage have been announced at CNY 2,699 (approx. Rs. 32,000), while the mid-range model with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage option is announced at CNY 2,899 (roughly Rs. 34,000). The top-most model with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage capacity is tagged at CNY 3,199 (approx. Rs. 38,000).

On the other hand, the iQOO Neo 5 SE’s 8GB RAM+ 128GB storage option will be retailing at CNY 2,199 (roughly Rs. 26,000), while the 8GB+ 256GB variant will cost CNY 2,399 (approx. Rs. 28,500). Likewise, the 12GB RAM+ 256GB variant of the Neo 5 SE has been launched at CNY 2,599 which is approx. Rs. 31,000 in Indian currency.

Realme today confirmed its upcoming GT 2 series’ features. The Realme GT 2 Pro has been doing rounds online for quite some time now where the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor powering it has been confirmed. Other features have also been tipped by the rumor mill all this while. However, the brand has now revealed the latest technologies with which the GT 2 series will be equipped.

Realme GT 2 Series New Technologies Revealed Officially

Realme today hosted a special event showcasing the latest technologies used in the Realme GT 2 series. The upcoming lineup will be the most premium product offered by the company. The brand has shared insight on the handset’s design, camera specifications, and connectivity options. Starting with the build, the Realme GT 2 Pro will be made out of a biopolymer material (back cover).

The company has confirmed the design comes in collaboration with noted Japanese designer Naruto Fukasawa who also designed the popular Realme GT Master Edition. The GT 2 Pro will have a “Paper Tech Master Design” and is said to be the first phone manufactured using bio-based materials.

Realme has also confirmed the presence of a 150-degree ultra-wide-angle on the GT 2 Pro for ultra-long depth of field effect. This makes it the first handset to offer such a large wide-angle sensor. Besides, the device will feature a fish-eye mode which again is new tech for any Realme premium smartphone.

It was recently reported the company will skip the telephoto sensor and instead use a wide-angle sensor. The same has now been confirmed by the brand itself. Just for reference, the GT 2 Pro’s camera specification has been tipped to be a 50MP main camera combined with another 50MP sensor and a telephoto lens. But, we now know the brand will indeed use an ultra-wide-angle sensor and not a telephoto lens.

Other new technologies that the GT 2 Pro is confirmed to bring along is an Antenna Array Matrix system which utilizes ultra-band antenna switching technology (HyperSmart), a Wi-Fi enhances, and a 360-degree NFC technology. This new tech will allow the device to offer better connectivity with both mobile data and Wi-Fi.

It is worth adding that the company has only revealed the aforementioned technologies used in the Realme GT 2 Pro. The company might announce some additional features ahead of the official launch. That said, the device was expected to launch today itself. However, the company has only confirmed the new set of technologies that the GT 2 Pro will bring to the table.