Hello and welcome to the 7th edition of Tech This Week. We give you a weekly recap of all major tech events around the world, along with significant India launches. Apart from tech this week, we have reviews, unboxing, auto tech, and much more. Let’s get to it.
Nubia Red Magic 5S Pre-Orders Begin Globally
Nubia Red Magic 5S global availability has been announced, and pre-orders have begun in several countries outside of China. The base model of the smartphone is priced at EUR 579
Launched in July, the Nubia Red Magic 5S sports a 6.65-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display with 2k resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 144Hz refresh rate, and 240Hz touch response rate.
The gaming smartphone features top-of-the-line specifications and comes with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC that has a maximum clock speed of 2.84GHz. The Nubia Red Magic 5S has a USB Type-C, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an in-display fingerprint sensor. Customers can also pair the phone with a number of accessories listed on the website. One of them is Ice Dock, which is essentially the company’s proprietary ICE 4.0 system that uses a combination of both thermal and air cooling to reduce heat generation.
Vivo Y20, Y20i launched in India
Vivo has launched two new smartphones in India. Launched under the Y series, the new phones are called the Vivo Y20 and the Y20i.vThe Vivo Y20 has been announced to be available for purchase at retail stores, Vivo India e-store, and other major e-commerce websites starting August 28, 2020. The company has announced that the device will be priced at Rs 12,990 for the single 4GB+64GB variant.
The Y20i will be available for purchase starting September 3, 2020. The phone has been announced to be made available at Rs 11,490 across retail stores, Vivo India E-store, and other major e-commerce websites. Both the Y20 and Y20i are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 Mobile Platform processors. The Vivo Y20 and Y20i come with a 6.51-inch Halo iView display with an elongated aspect ratio of 20:9 and HD+ (1600 x 720) resolution. The two devices also bring with them side-mounted fingerprint scanners which are claimed to unlock the phone in just 0.22s. Both the phones pack a massive 5,000mAh battery with 18W FlashCharge technology that is claimed to last up to 16 hours of online HD movie streaming and 11 hours of resource-intensive games.
Realme 7, 7 Pro India launch set for September 3
Realme will launch the Realme 7 and Realme 7 Pro, while a third toned-down version Realme 7i could enter much later in the series. The highlighted feature is going to be the 65W fast charging tech on the Realme 7 series. It could be the first smartphone series that brings the high-rated charging speed for about Rs 20,000.
There will be an in-display fingerprint sensor on the Realme 7-series, Realme has been teasing the word “faster” for the Realme 7 series ever since it began building hype around it. It may refer to a new Snapdragon or Helio processor that does not have 5G connectivity since a rumor suggested previously there will be no 5G support on the Realme 7 series. The rest of the specifications of the Realme 7 series are not out yet and we will have to wait for the company teasers, and finally, the event to know more about the Realme 7 and Realme 7 Pro.
Fitbit launches Sense, Versa 3 and Inspire 2 in India
Fitbit on Tuesday announced its latest lineup of wearables in India. The company announced Fitbit Sense, Versa 3, and Inspire 2. The Fitbit Sense is touted as the company’s most advanced heart smartwatch with sensors including an on-wrist skin temperature sensor, advanced heart rate tracking technology, and more. Fitbit Sense was launched in India for Rs 34,999 while the Fitbit Versa 3 is priced at Rs 26,499. The Inspire 2 is slightly on the cheaper side as it costs Rs 10,999.
Sony Bravia X9000H series 4K LED TVs have been launched in India.
Sony Bravia X9000H series 4K LED TVs have been launched in India. The new series features full-array LED backlighting, HDR, Android TV operating system, support for Apple AirPlay2, and HomeKit. It will also have the ability to run upcoming PlayStation 5 games at up to 4K resolution with a 120fps frame rate. Sony Bravia X9000H series will be available in two sizes in India. The 55-inch model is priced at Rs. 1,09,990, while the 65-inch model is priced at Rs. 1,59,990. The new series will be available across all major Sony retail stores and e-commerce websites.
Xiaomi Mi TV Horizon Edition to Launch in India on September 7
Xiaomi has announced that it will be launching the Mi TV Horizon Edition in India on September 7. It’s likely to be the company’s most premium offering in the television segment yet. A teaser page by Xiaomi has revealed some features, including familiar ones such as the company’s Patchwall launcher and the fact that the television will likely run Android TV at its base. The ‘Horizon Edition’ branding borrows from Xiaomi’s recently launched Mi Notebook 14 Horizon Edition, which features a high screen-to-body ratio with thin bezels. The Mi TV Horizon Edition could feature a similar design.
Asus Zenfone 7 Pro, Zenfone 7 bring flip cameras back, have 90Hz displays
Asus Zenfone 7 series is finally official and brings back the interesting flip cameras on them. Asus is launching the Zenfone 7 and the Zenfone 7 Pro, with only a few differences between them. There is top-end hardware on both smartphones, but what has been significantly improved are the cameras. The Zenfone 7 and Zenfone 7 Pro have three cameras now.
Google and Netflix make it clear they are not buying TikTok
With not much time on its hands to sell its operations in the US, TikTok is making every attempt to save its ship from sinking. TikTok recently approached Netflix to acquire its US arm. However, the streaming giant did not show interest in a deal with TikTok. Also, Google (CEO) Sundar Pichai has said that the company has no plans to acquire TikTok. As of now, Microsoft and Oracle have been the front runners who have shown interest in buying TikTok.
Mi 10T Pro Live Images Allegedly Leaked, Tipped to Come With 108-Megapixel Camera
Mi 10T Pro live images have been allegedly leaked and the phone is said to be part of Xiaomi’s new Mi 10T series. The Mi 10 series includes the Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, Mi 10 Lite, Mi 10 Lite Zoom, and the Mi 10 Ultra. The images on the OfferUp website show a Mi smartphone with a single hole-punch cutout on the top left, thin bezels all around, and a grey back panel. This phone is said to be the Mi 10T Pro. The camera module can also be seen on the back, with the 108-megapixel camera branding.
Redmi 9 with MediaTek Helio G35 SoC, MIUI 12 launched in India
It hasn’t been too long since the launch of the Redmi 9 Prime in India, and now the company has launched a new smartphone, the Redmi 9 in the country. The Redmi 9 comes with a 6.53-inch-display which can churn up to HD+ resolution. However, what’s under the hood is more interesting. For hardware, the device gets at least 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of storage paired to a powerful budget segment chipset, the Helio G35 SoC.
The phone is available in two variants, with the 4GB+64GB variant available at a starting price of Rs 8,999 while the 4GB+128GB variant will be available at Rs 9,999.
Apple will launch its first online store in India in September, physical stores are slated for 2021
Apple will launch its first online store in India in September, the online store will be ready for operations just ahead of the festive Dussehra-Diwali spending season.
Apple is also planning to bring in two physical retail stores in India. The first one will be launched in (BKC) locality, and a second store will be launched in Bangalore near Minsk Square.
Poco X3 leaked online
Since becoming an independent brand in itself, Poco has launched a number of new smartphones in the market. The latest in the list was the budget segment offering, the Poco M2 Pro, and now the company could be ready to follow it up with a slightly more premium phone, the Poco X3. The phone could come with a 5,160mAh battery with support for 33W charging (11 Volts at 3 Amps). This will be quite a step up from the Poco X2 which has a 4,500mAh battery with 27W charging.
DJI officially announces Osmo Mobile 4, adding magnetic mounts to the foldable phone stabilizer
DJI is expanding its lineup of motorized smartphone video stabilizers with the newly announced Osmo Mobile 4. The DJI OM4 is available for $149, about $20 more than the Osmo Mobile 3 cost at launch, but it’s worth pointing out that the higher price includes a lot more accessories: a magnetic ring holder, magnetic clamp, carrying case, and a tripod.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ Tipped to Go on Sale in India on September 7
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 series was recently spotted on Amazon.in, hinting at an imminent launch in the Indian market, and now a rumor suggests that pre-orders for the tablets will begin real soon in India, and shipping will start from September 7. The two tablets are already listed on Amazon.in and Samsung India website, but their pricing or availability hasn’t been announced yet.
Flipkart Launches Nokia Media Streamer With Android 9 and Dedicated Remote, Priced at Rs. 3,499
Flipkart has launched the Nokia Media Streamer, a new Android-based streaming device for televisions, priced at Rs. 3,499. The Nokia Media Streamer runs on Android 9, has a dedicated remote, and supports up to full-HD resolution streaming. Like other popular streaming devices such as the Mi TV Stick and the Amazon Fire TV Stick, this streamer will connect to your television through the HDMI port, and to the Internet via Wi-Fi to fetch streaming content. The Nokia Media Streamer has been on sale since August 28 on Flipkart.
Honor Watch GS Pro, Honor ViewPad 6, Honor ViewPad X6 to Launch on September 4
Honor Watch GS Pro is expected to launch at the IFA 2020 trade show on September 4. Honor is set to deliver a keynote address at the event in Berlin, where it is expected to launch the new smartwatch alongside the global variants of its Honor Pad 6 and Honor Pad X6 tablets. The 9.6-inch screen Honor Pad X6, also called ViewPad X6, begins at roughly Rs. 11,600. The Honor Pad 6 (or ViewPad 6) has almost the same specifications as the Pad X6, but a bigger 10.1-inch panel, and is sold at roughly Rs. 13,480.
