Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro debut with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipsets, Xiaomi 12X comes with SD870
After months of leaks and rumors, Xiaomi’s 12 series is now official with three entries – Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12 Pro and Xiaomi 12X. The vanilla model takes a more compact approach with its 6.28-inch screen while still fitting the very best Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip. The 12 Pro bumps up the size to 6.73-inches and also boasts the same SoC but it also adds an LTPO AMOLED display, bigger battery, faster charging and more capable camera hardware. The more budget-oriented Xiaomi 12X comes with the Snapdragon 870 SoC and similar size and specs to the Xiaomi 12.
From Gsmarena
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra will reportedly offer up to 1TB of local storage, more pictures leak
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is building up to really live up to its name, with a Note merger and, now, the possibility of up to 1TB of storage on board.
SamMobile reports that, according to sources familiar with the device’s development, Samsung will include a 1TB storage tier for its Galaxy S22 Ultra. That’s twice as much storage as you can get with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and four times as much as the Galaxy S21 Ultra can currently deliver.
Notably, it’s possible this variant of the Galaxy S22 Ultra with 1TB of storage may be exclusive to Samsung’s own store, should it be released at all.
From 9to5Google
Oppo Find X5 or Find X5 Pro gets pictured in renders based on schematics
Today a few renders based on “early prototype schematics” have been outed, and it’s unclear whether these show the Find X5 or the Find X5 Pro, so keep that in mind.
As you can see, the curved glass around the camera island has lived on from the Find X3 Pro, but the island itself… looks incredibly weird with its irregular shape. Maybe this is an acquired taste sort of thing, we’ll have to wait and see.
From Gsmarena
iQOO 9 lineup’s battery size and charging speed confirmed
vivo sub-brand iQOO yesterday announced it will introduce the iQOO 9 series on January 5 while also revealing the smartphone’s design and a few specs. Today, the company took to Weibo to tell us more about the battery tech.
iQOO says the iQOO 9 series will pack a 4,700 mAh battery and feature 120W wired and 50W wireless charging. However, only the Pro version will support wireless charging, which isn’t a surprise since the iQOO 8 Pro also came with 50W wireless charging but the regular iQOO 8 didn’t.
From Gsmarena
Realme GT 2 series cooling teased, GT mode 3.0 also confirmed
We’re just mere days away from Realme’s flagship GT 2 series being announced and the multitude of leaks and teasers have us pretty confident with what’s coming up. A new official post on Realme’s Weibo page is detailing the GT 2 series cooling system. Realme is touting an industry-leading heat dissipation area of 36,761mm² with a supersized vapor chamber (VC) that can keep up the phones’ thermals in check at all times even during heavy loads.
A separate teaser poster revealed Realme is also bringing a new gaming and performance mode for its upcoming flagships dubbed GT mode 3.0. It will help deliver maximum GPU performance. Realme also went ahead and confirmed the GT 2 series will be powered by the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset which is not a big surprise. We’re expecting three GT 2 phones with a vanilla GT 2, a Master Edition model and a camera performance variant.
From Gsmarena
Redmi Note 11S incoming, multiple certifications confirm
Xiaomi launched three phones under the Redmi Note 11 family, followed by a Redmi Note 11T, and now another one is joining – Redmi Note 11S. The phone with model number 2201117SG appeared on multiple certification websites, including the NBTC in Singapore, BIS in India, and the Eurasian Economic Area (EEC).
There are no less than four more variations of the model number, which are likely for the different carrier configurations, as well as multiple storage options. Sadly, the listings give zero information on any actual specs, launch date, or pricing whatsoever.
The Redmi Note 10S arrived for the global market in March 2021, but its successor may well come earlier thatn that.
The Redmi Note 11S will be the fourth name in the family, but not the fourth one in all countries. The Note 11 Pro and Note 11 Pro+ are expected to launch in India as Xiaomi 11i and Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge (not to be confused with Mi 11i) as soon as next Thursday.
From Gsmarena
Instagram says it will focus on videos, messages, and creators in 2022
After a year of a lot of controversies regarding Instagram, CEO Adam Mosseri has now shared what will be the app’s key priorities in 2022.
To remain relevant, Instagram will double down on its focus on video. This means you can expect many more Reels functions and a timeline that prioritizes videos over any other content. This change comes with TikTok still growing year over year while being the only app that is not from Meta to have more than 3 billion downloads globally.
Two important themes were video, our focus on Reels, starting to consolidate our video format and build new creative tools, and control, giving people more ways to shape Instagram into what’s best for them with things like the sensitive content control, with the ability to hide like counts, with extending hidden words to DMs.
(…) We’re going to double down on our focus on video, we’re no longer just a photo-sharing app, and consolidate all of our video formats around Reels and continue to grow that product.
It’s important to notice that in October, Instagram said that “Video” was the new home for IGTV, feed videos, and live streams. As of now, this feature appears right beside Reels, but maybe the company is still planning to integrate all of its video formats, as none of its apps that weren’t Instagram took off, just like Threads.
From 9to5Mac
Samsung gives a 100 million users the perfect New Year 2022 gift
One UI 4.0 introduces enhanced personalization features and even includes support for Material You themes. Additional features include smart widget recommendations, revamped Camera app UI, enhancements to system-wide navigation and more.
Samsung is not wasting any time in getting this update out to as many people as possible. It’s without a doubt a great New Year 2022 gift for the 100 million+ people who use Samsung devices compatible with Android 12. They can rest assured that it’s only a matter of time before the update lands on their device.
From Sammobile
Waymo unveils design for a robotaxi without a steering wheel
Waymo has unveiled a design for a self-driving robotaxi without a steering wheel and pedals.
The autonomous-vehicle specialist announced this week that it’s partnered with Chinese automaker Geely to build a Zeekr minivan filled entirely with passenger seats.
The all-electric, self-driving minivan will be designed and developed in Gothenburg, Sweden, before being added to Waymo’s fleet “in the years to come,” according to the U.S. company.
Announcing the Zeekr in a blog post, Waymo said the new vehicle features “a flat floor for more accessible entry, easy ingress and egress thanks to a B-pillarless design, low step-in height, generous head and legroom, and fully adjustable seats.”
From Digital Trends
iPhone production in India again disrupted as Apple acts on worker complaints
iPhone production in India has again been disrupted as a result of worker complaints. Assembly was suspended at a Wistron plant last year following a riot over underpaid wages, and production has now been halted at a Foxconn plant after Apple upheld complaints about worker accommodation.
It is common in both India and China for seasonal iPhone workers to be recruited from considerable distances, and to live in company-supplied dormitories for the duration of their contract …
Apple has placed Foxconn on probation, and ordered that the supplier bring conditions up to the required standards before production resumes.
From 9to5Mac
